what alternative therapies, gel and cream have people tries, trying using for chronic pain syndrome, chronic tronchanteric hip bursiitis

[hhmmaa1]

heard people talking about different alternatie ways instead of conventional to treating chronic pain, tronchanteric hip bursisits

[Hidden]

You can try anything that relaxes your body and mind. Part of the pain is caused by tension. Andcyou can try yoga and pilates. Both are good for stretching the body. Will need a very experienced leader to know which exercises to avoid.

Like anything, give each one a go. Some will help lots where as others only bits will help. But even if you get an hour or so relaxation from aromatherapy, its worth it to give the brain a rest.

If you want to focus less on the pain, try meditation and mindfulness. Both take a while to learn and need experienced teachers, but they will clear your brain so you can think straight.

Chinese massage may help. You can usually get one session as a test and then a 6 week course. This involves lookibg at your body as a whole and is accupunture with infrared heat treatment, and then a body massage. It can be quite violent in that you are well and truly pummelled.

Then there's distraction, when you get absorbed in an activity, usually creative,

so much so that hours have gone by and you haven't noticed.

Getting back to nature has been proven to aid wellbeing. Something simple like growing a few plants. If its too difficult in the ground, use pots placed on higher surfaces, or setting up a bird table and feeding the birds.

The thing with alternative therapies is that you need to give them at least 4 weeks to allow your body to respond. You may get a few aches and pains after, but this is normal reaction. Only do one at a time and compare results. You may find some aspects of each help you, and you build yourself your oiwn treatment plan.

In my routine, I use pilates stretches before I get up - muscles already warm. Then I have a warm shower, depending on how brave I am, I do a hot/cold with the massage head. During the day I dip in and out of meditation and mindfulness. I walk twice a day for 1/2 each (better for me than one 1hr walk). I do 2 or 3 lots of breathing (I have a lavender bag which I breath in -its very soothing), and loads of distraction. I have a massage once a week too.

Soprts physios are good at locating and treating pain too and can give you exercises to do at home.

A lot of the things I do are focused on the brain and changing the brainwaves. I find them helpful because my brain is making my pain - the pain message has not switched off. I do have physical things that cause pain as well and the stretching exercises go a long way to help with that. My pain levels run at about 3/10 using these. For me that's as close to painfree as I will get. Its an 8/10 if I don't do all these things. To begin with, it was quite a challenge to work out a routine, but now it all happens automatically. Pain loves a routine too.

I love the journey, meeting new people, and learning different aspects of my pain, and how to control it. Alternative therapists are very experienced with people and pain and ave a wealth of knowledge to share.

[superannie in reply to Hidden]

Well done you. Great to read about other ways to tackle this pain we all suffer with. You have inspired me to get my backside in gear and go for something new, thanks Ann

[Hidden]

Superannie,

The way I see it, I have 3 options - do nothing and get increasing pain, take meds that don't work and have to deal with unfortunate side effects and the pain, or find my own way by making life more pleasant.

I did despair quite a bit when things didn't work, but even if I got an hours peace and reduced pain for a few hours after a massage, I think its worth it. Juggling all the therapies I have found beneficial and working them into a routine, chips away at the pain levels all day. I doubt I will ever be pain free but I'm having a lot of fun trying to be.

With massage, once your nody is used to it as a way to relax, you don't need to masssge the dore bit to get an effect. I quite often masssge my thighs when my neck aches. Because my body is used to relaxing when its massaged, my neck relaxes too. Its not the same effect as direct massage but goes a long way to reducing the pain in that area.

The school taught my daughter a self relaxation method. Gently but firmly pinch your ear starting at the front and work round to the earlobe. Do this 3 times on each ear. Pull the earlobe down gently 3 times on each ear. Then roll out the curl, again gently but firmly all the way round. Not sure how it works but its used to quiten the class at the start of the day, and it seems to work.

It can be costly to do all these therapies, but the secret is to ask how you can do it at home inbetween the times you go to them. And also ask how their therapy relates to your pain.

A next day reaction is fairly common with me, but it soon wears off.

Would love to hear how you get on.

[Hidden]

Also, the more we used alternative therapies and report back to the NHS all the benefits and draw backs, the more data they have to support their use.

[Calceolaria]

I agree completely with zanna. The function of the brain/mind in all this, has to be taken into account and given its due.

The things which have worked for me are - tens unit, only a cheap one from Lloyds. Acupuncture. Chinese acupressure. Touch for Health - a healing therapy.

I have tried all the usual meds which simply made me feel worse though I started a lidocaine patch today and its been great. I have capsaicin cream on prescription which is derived from peppers but not tried it yet. I take two Disprin Direct after breakfast if I'm really cranky. The lidocaine and capsaicin were suggested by my wonderful Pain Consultant. He also suggested a book which explained about pain, how it works, the history of it, treatments etc.

I also derived a great deal of reassurance and insight from Dr John Sarno's controversial work - Healing Back Pain. It changed my life, truly!

[hhmmaa1]

hi moggiemay, thanks for replying, tried relaxation and alternative therapies for me hip bursitis in both hips and had no joy. yeh surgery was recently mentioned, their looking into it. someone replied when they had the same opps the bursa came back after they were operatively removed, thats spooked me as i'm desperate for answers. i'm definately thinking about it, just don't want both hips operated on and the bursas come back in both hips

[moggiemay in reply to hhmmaa1]

Hi HHmmaa You have to go and see an Orthopaedic Surgeon and ask him to describe the surgery. A Bursa is in a capsule and the whole lot is removed so I dont think it should come back. Ask the experts. Take care and dont put off because the waiting time is not very good unless you go private and you are seen within days by the same Surgeon!! Moggiemay xx

[hhmmaa1]

hi moggiemay, been waiting a veryyyy long time for me consaultant too get it right, they've just dumped me on pain relief and no more, saw pain clinic 2/3 year back, not much help. don't think me consault knows whats its like, he's never referred anyone for surgery he said with hip bursitis, chronic at that for 15yrs