I discussed in an earlier entry how a physical therapist or other trained specialist can provide quick pain relief. But the equipment, training, and even financial resources necessary to take advantage of these treatments limits how often they can be done.

I'd like to tell you about some other ways to get fast pain relief at home:

• Stretching and applying heat or cold are among the simplest and most helpful treatments. These are fairly easy things to do at home, but it is useful to work with an expert to figure out the best stretches and the most ideal schedule for hot or cold in your situation. In general, cold reduces inflammation and is most helpful in the first 48 hours after an injury or flare of pain. Heat increases blood flow and helps to reduce muscle spasm, and is often recommended after the first 48 hours. However, your specific response may be different, and you should figure out what works best for you.
  
• Traction can be thought of as a type of stretching, and is terrific for certain types of pain. However, there are some situations in which it can cause significant harm. You should never attempt to begin traction without professional guidance. If traction is right for you, there are tools and techniques that allow you to do it at home.
  
• Electrical stimulation reduces pain very well for some people, especially when the area needing treatment is relatively small. The most common approach is TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). This involves placing two or more adhesive electrode pads around the area of pain that are connected by wires to a device that applies a low-level, painless, electrical current. For people who get relief with TENS, or a similar technique, a portable unit can be purchased or rented to use regularly at home.

Everything we've discussed so far is intended to immediately reduce the pain you're feeling - if you get a few hours or even a few days of relief, that's a great result. Usually though, the pain comes back, so these tools need to be used over and over again to help keep the pain under control.

In a future entry, I'll talk about physical therapy approaches that may provide long-term improvement in pain.