Conquer Your Everyday Aches and Pains

11 STRATEGIES TO STOP THEM FROM HOLDING YOU BACK

- Lisa Bendall

Accepting a life with pain isn’t something that comes naturally to most people. Ever since a 1986 car accident, Keith Meldrum has experienced severe discomfort in his abdominal wall, hip and back. The 50-year-old engineer in Kelowna, B.C., used to try to push through it: “For a long time, I wanted to show myself and the world that I was not going to let my injury hold me back.” But when he would overdo it with activities that ratcheted up the intensity of his pain, like playing baseball or even signing up for Canadian Armed Forces training, he’d often end up in the hospital.

Finally, 16 years ago, Meldrum’s doctor referred him to a health care team that specialized in pain and had expertise in self-management techniques. It was a turning point, he says. “I stopped fighting and started putting my energy into living the best life I could.”

About one in five Canadians lives with chronic pain, or pain that stays after a typical healing period of 12 to 16weeks. But those agonies that everyone experiences at some point—a bad toothache or menstrual cramps—can be just as debilitating.

Now, when Meldrum feels pain flaring up, he’ll pause and take the edge off by spending five, 10 or even 60 minutes performing deep, focused breathing to relax muscle tension and lower stress. “I can dial the worst of the pain back down,” he says. This is just one of several methods he relies on to keep moving and healthy.

Here are 11 ways you can take the battle with pain into your own hands— and win.

FOR GENERAL PAIN

Over-the-counter medications