Physical Health Chronic back/neck/shoulder pain?

[simpleliving21]

I have struggled with neck, shoulder, and back pain since my teens. It has only gotten worse as I have gotten older. I didn't start having lower back pain until I tripped in a hole. It is just on one side but it has made sleeping throughout the night almost impossible. I wake up after 3 or 4 hours every night.

Does anyone else deal with these sorts of pains as a younger person? How do you manage it? Have you healed your problem?

 

[Foxy]

As early as my High School years I had arthritis in my knees. As an older adult my knees are worse in addition to spinal stenosis and some damaged discs. The only time I'm not in pain is when I'm sitting. I occasionally use pain patches with lidocaine, it takes the edge off. I have Meloxicam and Metaxalone on hand when I get a debilitating bout of sciatica. I am careful not to abuse pain meds, I don't want to become dependent and I like to keep some set aside for emergencies .

 

[simpleliving21]

I am sorry you go through this as well. I understand not wanting to be hooked on pain medication. So many people end up like this because there is no way to "fix" their issues, at least that is what a lot of doctors say. I hope one day we can find a way to fix and manage these issues so people don't have to live in pain like this.

 

[hikershawn]

When I was in my 20s, I was going through back pain a lot.

Now that I bike and hike, I also try to stretch when I remember. To best honest, I feel better in my late 30s than I ever have.

I looks forward to 40s

 

[Dave]

Constant pain becomes debilitating and the issues that lead to and cause the pain should be thoroughly investigated by specialists. If you are being treated solely by your GP then ask for a referral to a specialist who may be able to get to the root cause; whether it is a bone issue or nerve issue they will find it and then they will devise the right treatment and medication for you.

If you have been seen by a specialist then ask if the root cause has been identified and if their treatment hasn't helped ask if there is anything more that can be done or if there is someone else you can be referred to; there's no harm in seeking a second, third or even fourth opinion.

Of course, there are some issues when no viable treatment is available and medication is probably the only route to easing the pain, but there are some alternative treatments you can try, such as acupuncture, it doesn't work for everyone, but there is no harm in trying it; ask your doctor or specialist if they can recommend you to a specialist in that area.

I've suffered a lot of personal pain, some mild, some severe and some extreme and it needs to be managed properly so you can have some quality of life. At present I suffer from neuropathic pain for which there is no cure and medication is the only relief available, but it's the kind that doesn't remove the pain, rather it subdues it and makes it bearable, to a degree. So, although I have no idea how anyone's pain affects them, I can empathise and understand how debilitating it can be.

Go explore further and never give in to your pain, fight it with everything you have and press your GP or Consultant for more answers and alternatives; if you don't ask you won't receive. Good luck and hugs to you 🤗