On MSN Health, I read an article about pain triggers. This caught my eye because I have been having a lot of migranes lately which I think is because of the constant weather changes, hot-cold-hot-hotter-cold. Whenever I get a migrane, that is definitely all I can think about, and this article says that there is good reason for that. A lot of time I just take some ibuprofen or tylenol to try to mask the pain, but this article shows how to actually treat the problem!
Pain trigger #1: Anger
Anger can cause chronic lower-back pain because of how you tense the muscles along the spine. Tight muscles hurt, so instead of holding in the aggravation, let it out and it might takes away some pain. This is because when you suppress your anger, the hostile feelings end up as tension which in turn increases the awful feeling in your body.
I know I personally have a problem with suppressing my anger a lot. Recently, I really have been trying to let it out, alone, in the car or in a private place. I am still having some serious tension aches in my body though, so don't know if this tactic is completely a cure-all.
Pain trigger #2: Your Smartphone
Who know a smartphone could cause a source of pain? It causes pain whenever you hold the phone between your shoulder and ear when trying to multi-task. This causes neck and shoulder aches and even tingling down your arm. Texting can often lead to tendonitis in your thumb.
Solution to this problem, would be to use a headset in planning on talking for more than a few minutes. When texting, using the pad of your thumb instead of using the tip of thumb will help lessen the risk of tendonitis.
Pain trigger #3: Thinking the Worst
I tend to not think to into things, but I notice a lot of friends do this. Thinking about the worst outcome in a situation can cause undo stress on the body.
You can try to avoid always thinking the worst by setting aside 10 minutes to let yourself worry in the middle of every day, but do not let this time fall in the early morning or right before bed. You can write down your worries and prioriztize your worries by how you can solve them.
Another article about thinking positive.
Pain trigger #4: Skimping on Sleep
As a dental hygiene student, one of my biggest problems is not getting enough sleep. I have heard over and over again how bad this is, but its hard to get the recommended amount of sleep every single day. People with chronic insomnia have nearly three times the risk of chronic pain according to the journal Sleep. Another article about not getting enough sleep.
Avoid this ache by hypnotizing yourself, an example of this would be to become completely absorbed in a single object, such as a candle's flame. This works by focusing your attention on something other than your aches and pains.
Pain trigger #5: Your Work Area
Bad posture has a high potential for injury. Carrying your shoulders up around your ears from stress tightens your shoulders and causes stress on the body, which leads to aches and pains.
Avoid these pains by practicing good posture!
Pain trigger #6: Loneliness
Denying the needs of being around others can lead to physical pain.
Avoid this by surrounding yourself with people you love and that love you!
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