Discomfort, ache, agony, soreness are all words that mean the same thing.  Pain!

Now pain is something that generally I try to avoid, however, this is not always possible because as many who also suffer from an incomplete spinal cord injury as I do will know, we endure pain every single day. 

However, I discovered ways to ease the pain, to soften it, to pad it with something, so I don’t have to feel the full impact of it: 

Medication and Drugs–  my pain management specialist prescribed tramadol to help relieve my severe right buttock pain. It works in the brain to change how my body feels and responds to debilitating pain. I also take pregabalin a drug used to treat nerve pain, a type of pain not often relieved by traditional painkillers. It is used in combination with the tramadol to improve my pain relief.

I have had a corticosteroid injection to relieve the inflammation to a tear to my subscapular tendon that was causing pain in my left shoulder.  Due in no small part to continual propelling of my wheelchair, lifting above my shoulders and handcycling.  

I have had a Medtronic Intrathecal pump surgically placed inside my abdominal muscle wall. It provides Baclofen, (a muscle relaxant medicine used to decrease spasticity related to my spinal cord injuries), right to the target site in the spinal cord and has substantially reduced the amount of Baclofen I require.

Exercise– I’ve found that by keeping active through exercise it is a distraction that’s assisted in treating my pain and improved my mental and emotional well-being. Exercise causes the body to release naturally occurring pain killers called endorphins. The benefits of exercise seem to work synergistically together, causing my pain to be alleviated more effectively than drugs or other treatments alone. I exercise by handcycling and utilising a gym for cardio and/or weights sessions set by my spinal rehabilitation physio.

Non-Traditional Pain Treatment– the effectiveness of these treatments varies depending on the type of pain and its severity. I have experimented with relaxation through meditation and deep breathing techniques which have proved effective. I am considering wheelchair yoga as an option after viewing it on YouTube. I’m aware that acupuncture causes pain-relieving endorphins to be released into the body. Other non-traditional treatments for pain that I’ve researched include massage, therapeutic touch, herbal remedies, and nutritional supplements.

‘whatever you lost through fate, be certain that it saved you from pain’ -       Rumi

About the writer

Ian Walker is a 57-year-old C6 Quadriplegic Incomplete. Ian lives in Christchurch, New Zealand and has survived 2 separate spinal cord injury-related accidents over the past 14 years. He is a Motivational Speaker who talks about - how to face adversity, cycle road safety, living with a disability, being a 1 percenter . . .

Ian also enjoys life coaching which he utilises through his business BMotiv8d, to assist those with a disability, (or without), who lack motivation, direction and/or confidence, those who feel disorganised or unfulfilled, and/or those who need encouragement or need to set priorities, on how to realise their true potential.