3 Ways to Relieve Pain Without Opioids

HANDS ON THERAPY –

July 12, 2023 –

What else works?

There are alternatives to opioid for pain management, and Dr. Karam uses a conservative approach.

“We will basically exhaust everything before progressing to more invasive procedures,” he says.

Some options include:

Interventional procedures. This ranges from epidural injections, facet blocks and peripheral nerve blocks to more invasive procedures like spinal cord stimulation implants, minimally invasive lumbar decompressions, and peripheral nerve stimulation. Pain management technology is constantly progressing and changing with new procedures being developed all the time, Dr. Karam says.

Medication. Non-opioid medication options includes topical agents like anti-inflammatory creams or lidocaine cream/gel along with oral medications like those used for nerve pain, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatories or acetaminophen. The location and characteristics of the pain might determine which approach works best. “Topical agents are good on the knees and shoulders because they penetrate the skin and help with arthritis pain,” Dr. Karam says. “Lidocaine patches desensitize an area so they can help with muscle and sometimes nerve pain.”

Movement. Yoga, massage therapy, physical therapy and low-impact aerobic exercise can all help ease pain.