Log in
This week is National Pain Awareness Week. We at MuscleCare take pain very seriously, and that's why we whole-heartedly believe in our formulas and products. Dr. Chris created MuscleCare to help patients in his clinic manage their pain better at home. He made sure that MuscleCare was effective, all-natural, drug-free, and fast-acting.
There are many different types of pain: chronic, acute, moderate, severe, result of injury, stress-induced, etc. Whatever your pain may be, our goal is to help you significantly reduce it to get you back to living a happy and healthy life.
Here are some statistics to give you a better idea of how common pain is in the U.S. and Canada to reduce the stigma and raise awareness.
- More than 1/5 of U.S. adults experience chronic pain. (CDC.gov)
- Chronic pain affects 116 million Americans and costs the U.S. as much as $635 billion each year (source)
- Seven million Canadians live with pain (Pain BC)
- Most (84%) of high-impact chronic pain patients are unable to work outside of the home. (Journal of Pain)
- Chronic pain is the #1 cause of disability and disease burden globally. (source)
- Chronic pain is associated with having a total family income of less than $25,000. (source)
- More than 4 million people have chronic daily migraines. (Migraine Research Foundation)
- Roughly 15 million adults report severe joint pain due to arthritis. (CDC.gov).
- Approximately 75% of cancer patients live with chronic pain. (source)
One statistic that really stood out to us, but also was not news to us, was that 17,000 deaths in the U.S. annually are due to misuse of prescription opioids. As a company that sells a drug-free formula that is an alternative to opioids, we feel strongly about wanting to provide vulnerable people in pain with a better solution. MuscleCare is non-addictive and made up of ingredients from plants. It's so nontoxic that it's even been proven to be safe for women who are pregnant or nursing.
Not only is MuscleCare extremely safe for everyone to use, but it has also been proven to be just as effective (in a University of Toronto double-blind study) as topical NSAID cream, Voltaren. What's even better is that Voltaren is a drug and MuscleCare is not.
Aside from using MuscleCare to relieve all of your aches, pains, spasms, and inflammation, here are some other methods you can try to relieve your pain.
Deep Breathing/Meditation
Learn deep breathing and meditation to help you relax, which has been known to relieve pain. When you're in pain, your muscles tighten up and cause tension, so if you focus on your breathing and clear your mind, your muscles will begin to relax.
Find a quiet place with zero distractions to sit down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes, clear your mind, and focus solely on your breathing. Feel your stomach moving in and out.
If your thoughts are running too wild, try following a guided meditation video. Here is a 15-minute guided meditation for beginners.
Exercise
One great way to block the pain signals from your brain is to release endorphins. How the heck do we do that? Exercise!
Go for a walk/run on a nearby trail, do some yoga in your living room, take the stairs in your building, play with your kids/grandkids outside in the yard, or even follow a quick workout video on YouTube.
Exercising will help you maintain your weight, reduce the risk of heart disease, and improve your overall mood.
You will feel better after and your body will get stronger, too!
Reduce Stress
It's easier said than done to minimize the stress in your daily life, but it's not impossible. Negative emotions like stress, depression, anxiety, irritability and anger can all cause you to be more sensitive towards feeling pain.
If you have people in your life who stress you out, set some boundaries and see them less. If you get stressed at work easily, put on your headphones and listen to classical or relaxing music.
If you're wound up after a long day, take a nice bath and drink some herbal tea. Surround yourself with all of your favorite things to help you feel more relaxed and comfortable.
Get More Sleep
When you're living with chronic pain, sleeping can sometimes be a nightmare. It's hard enough to get a full night's rest when you're in pain, so make sure to cut out any other factors that may be affecting your sleep.
Limit your caffeine intake to the mornings only. If you consume any sort of coffee, tea, soda pop, etc., it may affect your sleep cycles and keep you up later than your goal bedtime.
Avoiding alcohol and processed sugars is also a good idea if you're looking for a healthy amount of sleep.
Don't Smoke
We never endorse smoking cigarettes under any circumstance. If you have chronic pain, you definitely want to avoid them. Smoking can cause painful circulation problems to become even worse, and it will also increase the risk of heart disease and cancer (Webmd).
Get a Massage
Getting a massage to target your pain will help to relax your muscles and joints, relieve stress and anxiety, and help break up any tension you may be holding in your body. If you are in Ontario, we highly recommend the massage therapists at Dr. Chris' clinic in Toronto, The Centre for Fitness, Health, and Performance. You can visit the website to request an appointment.
Seek Chiropractic Care
We are firm believers in the positive health benefits that come with chiropractic care.
Chiropractors treat a wide variety of injuries and pains, most commonly treating lower back pain, neck tightness, and headaches to name a few. Chiropractic care is the treatment of structural problems in the human spine and limbs, generally involving the joints, muscles, and nerves. Whether it is nagging back pain from your desk job or a sudden injury to your neck or back, chiropractors can diagnose and treat. In order to correct these issues, chiropractors perform spinal and joint adjustments. The objective is to increase range of motion, reduce nerve irritability, improve function, and eliminate your pain!
Click here to request an appointment with a chiropractor if you are in Toronto.
Participating in the NPAW Campaign
If you would like to participate in Pain BC's National Pain Awareness Week campaign, post your pain story on social media and use the hashtags, #NPAW2020 and #LivingWithPain to help raise awareness and let others know that you support them and they're not alone.