Treatment

Treatments for pain include medicines, physical therapies, psychological and behavioral therapies, complementary and alternative therapies, and surgery. To get a treatment plan involving a variety of approaches, you may want to try a pain clinic. These clinics have a team of professionals, including doctors, psychologists, physical therapists, complementary and alternative therapists (such as acupuncturists or massage therapists). Together, the team will put together a pain management plan for you, often involving a combination of different treatments. If you do not have a pain clinic where you live, ask your doctor for referrals to therapists near you. Because everyone is different, a treatment that works for one patient may not work for others. You may have to try a variety of treatments before you find one or more that work for you.

Medicines
Medicines that reduce pain are called analgesics. They block the pain signals carried by nerves but do not cure the problem that is causing the pain. When an analgesic wears off, the pain often returns.

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a class of analgesics. They reduce pain and also reduce fever and inflammation. Common ones include: aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. When used once in a while, these drugs cause few side effects. But long-term use can irritate the stomach and intestines. NSAIDs other than aspirin also may increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke. Some of the NSAIDs may cause liver or kidney disease as well.
  
• Acetaminophen works in much the same way as NSAIDs but doesn't reduce inflammation. Acetaminophen is less likely to bother the stomach, but taking too high a dose can damage your liver, especially if you drink a lot of alcohol.