The best ways to fight pain

Music and exercise help chronic pain sufferers by stimulating the release of endorphins, the body’s natural mood enhancers, although the amount produced varies from person to person. You may also want to try acupuncture, massage, and aromatherapy.

Some people, particularly those with musculo-skeletal problems, such as repetitive strain injury (RSI) or torn ligaments, gain relief from mechanical stimulation, such as ultrasound, which provides deep heat, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, which pulses a gentle electrical current through the nerve endings in the skin.

Pain is the focus of intensive research. And issues such as phantom pain, why women respond to pain and process painkillers differently from men, how pain is ‘learned’ and the role of gene therapy, offer great hope for future treatments.

For more information on pain, details of support groups, and useful website links, access www.painsupport.co.uk