Don’t Let Pain Derail Your Holidays: A Survival Guide for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time of getting together with family and friends and being thankful for the many good things in your life. The last thing you want is for your chronic pain to become the star of the party.

At Interventional Pain Center, Dr. James Stephens offers pain management services, including treatments for neck, back, and joint pain, to relieve your distress and help you enjoy your holiday time. The trick is getting a jump on the holidays so you’ll be good to go when they come around. Here’s what you need to know.

What is pain?

Pain is a survival mechanism. If you get injured, the nerves in that area send signals to the brain that there’s a problem, and the brain responds by trying to heal the problem. The pain you feel initially and during the healing process is acute, and it goes away once the area heals.

Chronic pain, on the other hand, is pain that lasts for three months or more, often well past the time when the injury has resolved. This occurs because the nerves in the injured area erroneously continue to send pain signals to the brain. There are therapies, however, that help dampen the signals and alleviate the pain so you can move forward with your life.

Why is pain worse during the fall and winter?

Your back, neck, or joints may have given you some grief during the warm summer months, but why do they become so much more painful when the cold weather starts up? There are several reasons.

Changes in barometric pressure

Your joints not only contain bones, but they’re surrounded and supported by muscles, ligaments, and tendons. When there’s a change in barometric pressure as the temperature drops, it can cause these tissues to expand, making them feel stiff and sore.

In addition, when the atmospheric pressure drops, both the fluid lubricant in the joints and the minute gas bubbles inside it can expand and stretch the sensitive joint capsules, producing pain.

Stretching of fascia

Cold temperatures cause various tissues to contract in different ways, stretching the sensitive fascia that surrounds muscles and causing pain and stiffness. Muscle spasms can also put pressure on the nerves that travel between muscles, as is often the case with neck pain and some types of headaches, such as occipital neuralgia.

Lack of physical activity

When it’s cold out, people tend to stay inside and reduce their activity, which leads to pain and stiffness. It also causes the muscle fibers to weaken, shorten, and become knotted.

Restricted blood flow

When exposed to the cold, the body restricts blood flow to the extremities to conserve heat. The soft tissue around the joints becomes less pliable, leading to stiffness and pain.

In addition, some people with migraine disease struggle with the cold weather, which may trigger an attack by causing an imbalance in brain chemicals.

And you can’t discount stress. For all the joy Thanksgiving can bring, it can be a stressful time, especially if you’re the one hosting the festivities. Stress makes you unconsciously tighten your muscles and other soft tissues, leading to pain. Learning to de-stress is key to getting through it.

Eliminating pain for the holidays

If you’re looking to tamp down your pain in time for Thanksgiving, here are some suggestions that can help you make it through the holiday in good spirits.

Even as the weather gets colder, maintain an active lifestyle to help retain your bone strength and keep your muscles strong. Exercise makes your whole body feel better, physically and mentally, and it improves the quality of your sleep.

There are plenty of indoor exercises you can try, such as yoga, Pilates, walking on a treadmill, or riding a stationary bike. You can even join a group exercise class, some of which you can do from the comfort of your home over a Zoom call.

Bundle up when you go outside to keep your muscles warm and pliable. Wear several layers of clothing, with breathable cotton next to your body and wool or fleece on top; this helps trap air and keeps your body warm.

Compression socks and gloves also help you retain heat and maintain blood flow in your hands and feet. And don’t forget a hat to keep your ears warm and toasty, too.

And if you need more targeted help, Dr. Stephens offers treatments that include nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, epidural injections, physical therapy, and much more, depending on the cause of your pain.

Don’t wait for the holidays to hit before you address your pain issues. Come into the Interventional Pain Center for a solid diagnosis and effective treatment. Call our office at 405-759-8407, or use our online booking tool to schedule a consultation with Dr. Stephens today.