Pain can affect your overall well-being. If not managed, it can even lead to things like depression and anxiety, which is why getting pain under control is essential to your quality of life.

Pain is more than a feeling of discomfort. It can have a far-reaching effect on your general health and wellness. Learning to talk about and describe the pain you feel and its severity can help your healthcare team know how to help you best.

Acute pain happens suddenly, usually in a matter of days or weeks. It tends to resolve within a few weeks.

Chronic pain is ongoing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pain is chronic when it lasts beyond 3 months.

Chronic pain is a major health issue. According to the CDC, it’s one of the most common reasons adults consult a doctor in the United States. In 2023, 24.3% of adults had chronic pain, and 8.5% of adults had chronic pain that frequently limited daily life activities in the past 3 months. This is referred to as high impact chronic pain.

Pain-relief methods range from at-home treatments and prescriptions to over-the-counter (OTC) medications and invasive procedures, like surgery.

Pain relief doesn’t usually happen overnight, but it can. Each person’s pain experience is unique to them.

To treat the source of chronic pain, you may need to visit your doctor.

There are two main types of pain: nociceptive and neuropathic.

Nociceptive pain is a protective nervous system response to actual or potential tissue damage. It makes you pull your hand back from a hot stove, so you don’t get burned. Pain from a sprained ankle forces you to rest and give the injury time to heal.

Neuropathic pain is different. It may be a result of misread signals between your nerves and brain or spinal cord. Or it could be due to nerve damage. Your brain interprets faulty signals from the nerves as pain. Unlike nociceptive pain, it doesn’t serve a protective role.

Examples of neuropathic pain include:

To get effective pain relief, you first need to find the source of the pain.

Make an appointment with your doctor if your pain:

  • hasn’t gone away after 2 to 3 weeks
  • is causing you stress, anxiety, or depression
  • prevents you from relaxing or sleeping
  • stops you from exercising or participating in your usual activities
  • hasn’t improved with any of the treatments you’ve tried

Living with chronic pain can be emotionally and physically challenging. Many types of treatments can help you find relief.

OTC pain relievers, like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), are available to buy without a doctor’s prescription.

NSAIDs block substances called COX-1 and COX-2. They relieve pain related to inflammation.

These drugs are helpful for conditions, like:

Common NSAIDs include:

  • aspirin
  • ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
  • naproxen (Aleve)

Take only the amount of pain reliever recommended on the package. Using too much of these drugs can increase your risk of side effects.

Side effects can include:

  • kidney injury
  • excessive bleeding
  • stomach ulcers

You can’t buy some stronger pain relievers OTC. Certain NSAIDs are only available with a prescription from your doctor.

The selective COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib (Celebrex), is also effective for treating inflammation-related pain. It’s available only with a doctor’s prescription.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new non-opioid analgesic in 2025. Suzetrigine (Journavx) blocks pain signals via NaV1.8 sodium channels in the nociceptors, offering effective relief for moderate to severe acute pain without addictive potential.

Stronger opioid drugs, such as hydrocodone and oxycodone, treat severe pain, like from surgery or a serious injury. These drugs are derived from opium.

Corticosteroids work by suppressing the immune system’s inflammatory response. By reducing inflammation, these drugs also relieve pain.

Doctors prescribe steroids to treat inflammatory conditions, like inflammatory arthritis or autoimmune conditions. Examples of steroid drugs include:

Corticosteroids can cause side effects like:

  • weight gain
  • osteoporosis
  • difficulty sleeping
  • mood changes
  • fluid retention
  • high blood sugar
  • increased risk for infections

Taking the lowest possible dose for the shortest period can help prevent side effects. Speak with your healthcare team about potential drug interactions when you take a corticosteroid drug, like cortisone.

As previously mentioned, opioids are powerful pain relievers. Some are made from the poppy plant. Others are produced in a laboratory. Those are called synthetic opioids.

You can take opioids to relieve acute pain, like after surgery. Doctors may consider opioids to manage chronic pain if other treatment options have failed.

These drugs come in immediate-release and extended-release formulas. Sometimes, they’re combined with another pain reliever, like acetaminophen.

You’ll find opioids in products, like:

Opioids can cause side effects and risks, such as:

  • confusion
  • nausea
  • drowsiness
  • constipation
  • impaired judgment
  • overdose, which can be life threatening
  • slower breathing that may cause hypoxia, which could result in brain damage, coma, or death
  • substance use disorder
  • increased risk of contracting infectious diseases if you share drug injection equipment
  • pregnancy loss, low birth weight, or a baby that has dependence and withdrawal symptoms at birth (if taken during pregnancy)

At higher doses, or in some individuals, opioids can produce feelings of euphoria in addition to pain relief. This effect contributes to their high risk of misuse and addiction. When used exactly as prescribed and for a limited duration, opioids are a safe and effective part of pain management.

Follow your healthcare professional’s directions carefully when taking these medications.

Antidepressants are designed to treat depression but can also help with chronic pain from certain conditions, like migraine and nerve damage.

Medical professionals still don’t know exactly how these drugs work to relieve pain. They might reduce pain signals by acting on and increasing the activity of chemical messengers (called neurotransmitters) in the brain and spinal cord.

Some different prescription antidepressant classes that treat pain:

Antidepressants can cause side effects, like:

  • drowsiness
  • difficulty sleeping
  • nausea
  • dry mouth
  • dizziness
  • constipation

Antidepressant drugs might also increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide. Your healthcare professional will monitor you for side effects while you take these medications.

Help is out there

If you or someone you know is in crisis and considering suicide or self-harm, please seek support:

  • Call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. Caring counselors are available to listen and provide free and confidential support 24/7.
  • Text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 to connect with a volunteer crisis counselor for free and confidential support 24/7.
  • Not in the United States? Find a helpline in your country with Befrienders Worldwide.
  • Call 911 or your local emergency services number if you feel safe to do so.

If you’re calling on behalf of someone else, stay with them until help arrives. You may remove weapons or substances that can cause harm if you can do so safely.

If you’re not in the same household, stay on the phone with them until help arrives.

Some medications that treat seizures can also relieve nerve pain. Nerves damaged by conditions, like diabetes or shingles, and nerves that are over-sensitized, like in fibromyalgia, overreact and send too many pain signals.

Medical experts don’t know exactly how anticonvulsants work against pain. They believe these drugs help block irregular pain signals between the damaged nerves and the brain and spinal cord.

Examples of antiseizure drugs that treat pain are:

Some of these drugs cause side effects, like:

  • drowsiness
  • headaches
  • dizziness
  • confusion
  • nausea and vomiting

Antiseizure drugs might also increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide. Your healthcare professional will monitor you for side effects while you take these medications.

Some people are interested in CBD for pain relief. However, recent research does not support CBD alone as an effective treatment for pain.

A 2024 research review found that CBD did not significantly reduce pain compared to a placebo in nearly all clinical trials studied. In fact, it found that “For people living with pain, the evidence for CBD or hemp extract shows it is expensive, does not work, and is possibly harmful.”

CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), used together, may help with some neuropathic pain. A 2021 study found that THC and THC/CBD interventions provided a significant improvement in pain intensity. Pain was reduced by about 30% with these therapies, yet researchers deemed the evidence as “moderate to low quality,” suggesting more research is needed.

An ice pack or hot compress is an easy way to relieve minor pain. The question is: Which one should you use?

Cold therapy narrows blood vessels. It works best right after an injury or during a flare-up of a painful condition, like gouty arthritis, when inflammation and swelling are present.

Heat therapy works by increasing blood flow to the injured area. This relaxes tight muscles. It comes in two forms: dry heat from a heating pad or pack or moist heat from a warm wet washcloth or bath. Use heat for pain that’s lasting more than a few weeks.

Apply heat or cold for about 15 minutes at a time, several times per day. Avoid applying the cold pack or heat source directly to the skin. Instead, wrap in cloth or a towel to prevent frostbite or burns.

Use with caution if you have diabetes or another condition that affects your circulation or ability to feel pain.

When you’re in pain, you might be tempted to take it easy until the soreness goes away. That’s why healthcare professionals used to recommend rest for people experiencing pain. Newer research suggests otherwise.

For example, a 2025 study found that exercise improved chronic lower back pain in adults. And 2023 research found that gentle exercise training reduced pain perception in adults with chronic pain.

Researchers note that many of the studies on exercise for chronic pain are poor quality, but say the overall research suggests physical activity can reduce the severity of pain.

Aerobic exercise also promotes weight loss. This could take some strain off painful joints if you have osteoarthritis. Resistance training might help your body heal injured spinal discs.

Physical therapy (PT) combines exercise with hands-on manipulation, education, and strength training.

A physical therapist will work with you to improve your strength and flexibility so that you can move more easily. PT sessions can also help relax tight muscles and improve your tolerance to pain.

Some of the painful conditions PT can help with are:

  • arthritis
  • fibromyalgia
  • postsurgical pain
  • nerve pain

Yoga combines poses with deep breathing and meditation. It’s been practiced for thousands of years. But only recently have researchers begun to discover yoga’s full potential as a health intervention.

In addition to improving strength, balance, and flexibility, yoga improves posture. Better posture can relieve many of the aches and pains linked to muscle tension.

Yoga can also relieve pain and improve function in people with chronic conditions like arthritis, back pain, and fibromyalgia.

How exactly it helps with pain isn’t clear. It may work by triggering the release of natural pain-relieving chemicals called endorphins or by promoting a state of relaxation.

Yoga comes in many styles and intensities.

Music has the power to move you and transport you back in time. Listening to music could also help relieve pain — in part by reducing stress and helping you cope more effectively with discomfort.

In a small older study of people with pain caused by nerve damage, listening to classical (Turkish) music reduced pain scores. The longer participants listened, the more their pain receded.

A 2018 review of more than 90 studies found that listening to music eases anxiety and pain before, during, and after surgery. Listening to music every day could help people with chronic pain conditions, like fibromyalgia or arthritis, feel more comfortable and less anxious.

During a massage, a therapist uses rubbing and pressure to loosen tight muscles and tendons and help you relax. The practice could help ease aches by blocking pain signals and relieving stress. Massage generally also soothes tight muscles by improving blood flow to them.

Another upside to massage is its lack of side effects. There are virtually no risks, unless you have:

  • skin rash
  • certain types of cardiovascular disease
  • infection

Just check with your doctor first if you have any chronic conditions that might make the experience uncomfortable or less recommended. If so, your massage therapist can modify their technique.

Massage therapists use varying amounts of pressure, from light touch to deep muscle massage techniques. Which one you choose depends on your tolerance and personal preference.

Pain can have a far-reaching effect on your general health and wellness. Describing your pain and its severity can help your healthcare team create a pain management plan that’s right for you.

Prescription or OTC medications, as well as other interventions like exercise, massage, and yoga, can help manage pain.