How to Manage Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is a debilitating affliction that can prevent you from working, socializing, or even performing adequate self-care.

At Share Lawyers, we understand how your pain may be different from someone else’s. In addition to consulting with your healthcare professional, here are some suggestions for day-to-day pain management:

Deep breathing or meditation

Deep breathing and meditation can be used to reduce stress and promote relaxation. Keep these tools in your pain prevention toolkit to bring down your blood pressure, ease muscle tension, and calm your mind.

Get moving

Although you may feel like physical activity will aggravate your pain, there are benefits to getting up and getting active.

Your body releases natural endorphins when you exercise, which improves your mood and blocks pain signals. Consistent exercise will increase your strength, flexibility, and energy.

Whether it’s getting into your local community centre’s pool, practicing yoga, or going for a walk, moving your body can help alleviate your pain.

Acupuncture and massage

Speak with your healthcare professional about potential complementary therapies for managing your pain.

Alternative therapies have specific benefits for controlling and alleviating pain - do some research to find the best fit for you. Figuring out what’s right for you and your pain is the first step when consulting with an acupuncturist or RMT.

Join a support group for chronic pain

You don’t have to experience pain alone. Sharing your experiences and talking about your pain are great ways to reduce stress, calm fears, and have a sense of community.

Discussing your pain is a tactic used in psychotherapies like cognitive behavioural therapy, which may not cure your pain but is a great tool for managing it.

Being around others with a shared experience has many other benefits as well. Support groups offer the opportunity to hear how others with a similar situation manage their pain, stress, and the day-to-day. Perhaps someone with the same condition might have a strategy that’s effective for your pain management.

Eat healthy and stay hydrated

Focusing on health from the inside out makes all the difference when managing pain.

Incorporating the essential nutrients and vitamins your body needs to function is a great way to ensure you’re giving your body what it needs to process and relieve pain.

Consult with a nutritionist about the best course of action when it comes to your diet. In many cases, they may advise you to select foods that have specific anti-inflammatory properties such as leafy greens, low sugar fruits (cherries, cranberries, plums), and omega-3 fatty acids.

Drink lots of water to stay hydrated. According to the Mayo Clinic, dehydration can worsen chronic pain symptoms like headaches and muscle pain. Water is the wisest choice because it does not include any caffeine, sugar, or extra calories.

Avoid alcohol or smoking cigarettes

Alcohol affects sleep, which can add to your fatigue if you’re already experiencing pain. Try to cut back or eliminate alcohol consumption completely.

Smoking cigarettes is even riskier, as it intensifies painful circulation problems and increases your chances of heart disease or cancer.

Denied your long term disability claim?

Contact Share Lawyers today and put our experience to work for you. Our 35+ years of experience can help you win your case against Canada Life, Desjardins, Manulife, RBC Insurance, Sun Life, and other insurance companies. We offer free consultations and there are no fees unless you win your case. Join us on Facebook and become a Top Fan for a chance to win each month.

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A note from our long term disability lawyers

Taking a medical leave from work is not an easy decision to make. Concerns about providing for yourself and your family and keeping your job may cause you to want to push through your pain, but this won’t make your problems go away. Stopping work is often the smartest decision for your long term health and well-being, and your disability benefits are there to provide you with financial support until you can return to work.

If you have made the tough decision to stop working and apply for your short term disability or long term disability benefits, you may feel overwhelmed by the process and have questions that your employer and your insurance company are not able or willing to answer. Share is There to see you through and answer your questions.

Our disability law firm knows what you have been going through

We understand that things have not been easy for you over the last little while. Your health has been suffering, you are unable to work, and now your insurance company, who was supposed to be there in your time of need, has decided they will not pay your disability benefits or respect your disability claim. These benefits exist to provide you with the financial support you need so that you can focus on your health and rebuilding your life. It is unfortunate that your insurance company has not lived up to its promise. If your disability claim has been denied, we will fight to get you the benefits you are entitled to. Our disability lawyers have helped thousands of Canadians get their long term disability benefits over the past 35 years, and we can help you too.

Our experienced disability lawyers can fight back on your behalf

Share Lawyers believes that every client who is dealing with a disability claim deserves superior personal service. To achieve that goal, we have developed our team of experienced, compassionate, and caring long term disability lawyers, law clerks, and administrative staff to meet all of your needs. Our team of experienced long term disability, life insurance, employment, and critical illness insurance lawyers have made successful claims against many insurance companies, third-party administrators and employers.

If you are unable to work, your disability benefits should be there to provide you with the financial support you need. While your insurance company may be focused on finding ways to avoid paying your claim, our focus is on what is in your best interest. When Share Lawyers gets involved, you have an entire team of lawyers that are there to support you and to fight for what is yours.

Our disability claim lawyers fight for your disability insurance claim by relying on our many years of experience to apply the best strategic planning and approach in each case, using the latest technology available. Experience matters, and with Share Lawyers, you are in the best hands with 35 years of success on your side.

In this video, we explain the role of a long term disability lawyer and how we can support you when you have been denied your long term disability benefits.