Treatments for pain

The most effective treatment for pain is the removal of the cause and complete healing of the injury or disease. However, until this is possible and when a complete cure is not possible treatments directed at pain and not just the cause may be needed. Pain cannot always be eliminated completely and it is important to discuss appropriate expectations for the particular situation.

A large variety of treatments exist for pain. Sometimes pain is relieved using a single treatment while at other times a combination of treatments may be needed. Treatments may be purchased over the counter (ibuprofen), or require a prescription (morphine), self-administered (exercise, oral medications) or administered by a health care provider (ultrasound, injections), non-invasive (a dressing, cold pack) or invasive (surgery), mechanical (exercise), electrical (TENS) or psychological (relaxation therapy), traditional (medication) or non-traditional (acupuncture).

People vary in their response to treatments; the cause, location and type of pain impacts which treatments tend to be the most effective. Examples of some pain treatments can be found in the table below.