The Pain Relief App
Guided Pain Relief Program
Our self-help program takes you step-by-step through every aspect of modern pain management. From understanding your pain, to dealing with triggers, developing a pacing strategy, CBT, and so much more.
The Mind Area
Enjoy any one of our hundreds of meditations – specifically designed for pain patients. With multiple expert contributors, there’s something for everyone. Whether you need a quick dose of calm, or a deeper practice, we’ve got you covered.
The Body Area
From head to toe, discover hundreds of physiotherapy exercises at every level of difficulty. Designed to improve strength, mobility, and reduce pain. You can also enjoy our growing number of calming or energizing yoga, exercise, and guided breathing routines.
Masterclasses
Pain affects every part of life. So in our masterclasses we go deep into specific topics, helping you to heal. From finding inspiration in Buddist healing practices, to delving into fascinating pain science stories – you’ll find them in our masterclass selection. Created by experts.
Track Symptoms
Track factors that influence your pain and wellbeing. By understanding how your symptoms ebb and flow over time, you and your medical professional are able to make better, more informed health decisions.
Non-medical pain relief during labour
There are many ways to reduce pain in labour without medicines. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. Choose one or more that suit you
Active birth
Staying active is one of the most helpful things you can do to manage the pain of labour and birth. Moving freely and rocking your pelvis can help you to cope with the contractions.
Massage and heat
Massage and hot packs can ease your pain in labour. Massage helps distract you from the pain. Heat packs can help your body release its natural painkillers — endorphins.
Water immersion
Most hospitals and birthing centres will have facilities that allow you to have a bath or shower during the first stage of labour.
Relaxation
You can use different relaxation techniques to ease pain. Some people like music, some like meditation, some like incense. Generally, relaxation techniques help ease pain in labour. Just check that the hospital or birth centre can cope with your plans.
Learn more about pain and pain management
What is pain?
Pain is unpleasant sensation, suffering or distress of the body or mind. Pain hurts and it wears you down. lt can make it hard for you to be active and make you feel tired and tense. Pain often accompanies cancer and other progressive diseases and it can affect all aspects of your life- psychological, emotional and spiritual.
Why are we afraid of pain?
Not all people living with terminal illness experience pain. However, many people living with a terminal illness are afraid of pain because they worry that pain cannot be controlled without awful side effects. Fear of pain adds to the total impact of pain. It is important to speak up about your pain and your fears about pain. Be honest and ask questions so that you can be given accurate information.
Can pain always be controlled?
Most pain can be relieved or controlled. Bringing pain under control and keeping it there means assessing each aspect of pain and monitoring it. These are core skills of palliative care doctors and nurses.
How can I help control my pain?
Good pain control requires good communication amongst patients, carers, medical and nursing staff. It is important to be open and share information so your care team knows exactly what is happening with your pain
They value stoicism- they don’t want to appear weak
People interpret their pain according to their particular life experiences, values and beliefs. If you value stoicism for religious or cultural reasons, you may wish to discuss the matter with your religious leader or a pastoral carer. None of the major religions urges its followers to reject pain-killers {analgesics) in terminal illness. If you think that it is weak to ‘give in’ to pain, you might consider whether analgesia will free your energy for more important things.
How Do I Get My Sciatic Nerve to Stop Hurting?
What is sciatica?
The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. It’s rooted in the lower back and extends through the rump, providing nerve endings through the leg. Sciatica or sciatic nerve pain is centered on the lower back, and the cause is usually from a ruptured disc in the spinal column that irritates or inflames the nerve. Bone, tumors, muscles, and infections can also cause inflammation of the sciatic nerve and the resulting back and leg pain.
What is the treatment for sciatica?
Bed rest has been traditionally advocated for the treatment of acute sciatica. But how useful is it? To study the effectiveness of bed rest in patients with sciatica, a research team in the Netherlands led by Dr. Patrick Vroomen randomly assigned 183 such patients to bed rest or, alternatively, to watchful waiting for this period.
The results, reported in the Journal of Medicine, showed that after two weeks, 70% patients in the bed-rest group reported improvement, as compared with 65% of the patients in the control (watchful-waiting) group. After 12 weeks, 87% of the patients in both groups reported improvement. The results of assessments of the intensity of pain, the aggravation of symptoms, and functional status revealed no significant differences between the two groups. The extent of absenteeism from work and rates of surgical intervention were similar in the two groups.
Other treatment options for sciatica depend on its cause and include addressing the underlying cause.
Transcutaneous nerve stimulators (TENS units) are sometimes useful for more chronic forms of sciatica.
A variety of low back conditioning and stretching exercises are employed to help people recover from sciatica.
Medications used in the treatment of sciatica include pain relievers, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatories, and antidepressants.
What are home remedies for sciatica?
Keys to the management of acute sciatica include relief of pain and relaxing associated muscle spasms. Home remedies include
Chronic pain relief without drugs: products to try
If you’re like many people, you reach for the bottle of Tylenol — or whatever over-the-counter pain pill you have handy — as soon as you feel a headache or any other sort of bodily pain coming on.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing: OTC pain medications do have their place, and they’re proven to be effective, although I’m sure you don’t need clinical evidence if you’ve experienced the effects of these medications first-hand.
Oska Pulse
Oska Pulse uses pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) technology, which emits energy at different wavelengths to stimulate your body’s natural recovery process. This type of technology is commonly used in medical settings, including post-surgical healing and cancer treatment. PEMF has helped to reduce pain in the feet, lower back, knees and more.
Omron Avail
The Omron Avail is a TENS unit, one of the more popular forms of drug-free pain relief available to consumers. TENS stands for “transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation,” which is the science-y way of saying it “blocks pain signals.”
Quell Relief
The Quell 2.0 is another TENS unit, but this one claims to be 10 times more effective than other TENS units you can buy over the counter. Rather than a small patchlike wearable (like the Omron Avail), the Quell 2.0 is a small cuff that you can wear on your arms and legs. This product could be particularly convenient for people who experience knee or elbow pain and want some relief while on the go.