Last Updated on February 24, 2025 by Analgesia team
Non-pharmacological pain management (NPPM) is a way to treat pain without using medication. NPPM methods can be used alone or in combination with other treatments. They are beneficial for managing mild to moderate pain.
While over-the-counter and prescription pain medicines can be effective if used properly, there are possible risks whenever you take a pill. So many people want to explore alternative pain relief therapies. There’s an array of options – from electrical stimulation to meditation, topical creams to shoes.
Some examples of NPPM include:
- Physical methods: These include:
- Massage: This can help with soft tissue injuries, but it’s not recommended as a long-term therapy. Massage can help reduce muscle tension and promote healing by increasing blood flow. Massage can also release endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.
- Heat or cold application: Whether to use heat or cold therapy depends on the type of pain or injury you’re treating, and when you’re treating it. As a general rule of thumb, use ice for acute injuries or pain, along with inflammation and swelling. Use heat for muscle pain or stiffness
- Tai chi: Tai chi originated in China as an ancient martial art but has become more focused on health promotion and rehabilitation. It can benefit many health conditions, including improving balance and preventing falls in older people, reducing pain from osteoarthritis, and helping people with fibromyalgia and back pain.
- Progressive muscle relaxation: Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a technique that involves tensing and relaxing specific muscle groups to reduce stress and anxiety. PMR can help you become more aware of how your muscles feel when they’re tense and relaxed, and how to relax them. It can also help with chronic pain, especially in the neck and lower back.
- Physical therapy: Physical therapy is a common treatment for back pain that can help reduce pain and improve flexibility and range of motion. It helps strengthen the back muscles, improve function in the lower back, and prevent back problems from recurring.
- Psychological methods: These include:
- Meditation: Meditation can help relieve pain by helping you relax and observe your body’s sensations, including pain. This can help you accept discomfort and increase your pain tolerance. Meditation can also trigger the release of endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers.
- Distraction: Distraction techniques can help relieve pain by shifting your focus away from pain and onto something else. Engaging in enjoyable activities like reading, listening to music, watching TV, or doing a hobby can help relieve pain.
- Music, art, or drama therapy: This can help people demonstrate their pain, anxiety, or trauma. It also tends to decrease the intensity of pain when used with pain relievers
- Guided imagery: Guided imagery is a mind-body technique that can help relieve pain by distracting from it and promoting relaxation. Guided imagery can also help improve overall health by lowering stress hormone levels, which can contribute to inflammation and other problems.
- Biofeedback: Biofeedback can help reduce pain intensity, depression, disability, and muscle tension. It can also improve cognitive coping. Biofeedback can also help improve headaches and reduce depression and anxiety.
Other methods: These include:
- Electrical stimulation: Electrical stimulation, such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), can help with pain management for some people, but it’s not a cure and it doesn’t work for everyone. TENS uses low-voltage electrical pulses to block pain signals or change how you perceive pain. The pulses can also stimulate the release of endorphins and other pain-relieving chemicals.
- Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy can help people develop skills to cope with pain and live a full life. Psychotherapy can help with pain by teaching patients how to use their minds to manage pain. Psychologists can help patients understand their pain and how it affects their lives, and then work with them to develop coping strategies.
- Companionship: Companionship can play a significant role in managing pain by providing emotional support, distraction, and a sense of connection. This leads to a perceived reduction in pain intensity, particularly when spending time with loved ones who can offer understanding and comfort. Research even suggests that simply being in the presence of someone you love can activate brain pathways that help alleviate pain
- Emotional support: Emotional support plays a crucial role in pain management by providing a sense of comfort, reducing stress and anxiety, and allowing individuals to cope with the emotional challenges associated with chronic pain, often through open communication, empathy, and a strong support network from friends, family, or support
- Creating a comfortable environment: Environments that combine visual and audio stimuli may be more effective in decreasing pain