The pain of Ankylosing Spondylitis can strike at any time. Your medical treatment plan provides you with medications for pain relief, but wouldn’t you also like to have a few safe and natural ways to relieve the pain?
Now you do. Use these simple techniques to relieve light to moderate Ankylosing Spondylitis pain whenever it suits you.
1. Hug somebody. The best part about hugging someone you care about is that you get hugged back. Physical touch is a powerful mood-booster and relaxation technique, so reach out and touch someone you love.
2. Break from your routine. When pain strikes, take a break. Get out of your chair, take a deep breath and walk out of the room for a while. If you’re outdoors, go sit on a bench and talk with the person next to you. If you’re at lunch, get up and take a few laps around the building. Breaking out of your habitual activity for a short while distracts you, which relieves AS pain.
3. Take a hot shower. Most Ankylosing Spondylitis pain originates in the tissues surrounding the joints. Running warm water over your body helps reduce inflammation and relaxes the muscles that naturally tense up with the pain.
4. Focus on potential underlying stress. When the pain strikes, try this: Direct your focus to what is going on in your life right now. What’s on your mind? What’s happening in your day? Are you feeling stress from deadlines, worry, anxiety, the busy schedule, conflict with a friend? All of these stressors can exacerbate AS pain. Take a mental inventory of what might be troubling you and use a relaxation technique to let it go—even if just for a little while.
5. Laugh. It really is the best medicine. Engage in a conversation with that co-worker who always tickles your funny bone; google your favorite jokes and parodies; or go back through all those hilarious emails you saved from friends in cyberspace.
6. Groove to the music. Keep your favorite relaxation CD at the office, the car, or wherever you’re likely to need it most. Music diverts your attention and calms your mind which in turn, calms your body. It’s true—a calmer mind and body always reduces the onset of chronic pain.
7. Breath. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Now take five deep breaths through your nose and send them straight down your spine all the way to its base. This creates immediate benefits as more oxygen is delivered to the parts of your body that want pain relief. You’ll soon find that this quick and effective relaxation and pain-reduction technique can work wonders.
8. Take time for tea. Chamomile tea has a calming effect on the nerves, relieving chronic pain. Any hot tea without caffeine can help relax you, which can relieve the pain of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
Peter