Chronic pain is a debilitating condition which will ultimately affect all aspects of a sufferer's life in a detrimental way. Most commonly, people in pain reach for a bottle of pills – but this is not always effective and can, over time, become a problem in and of itself. Institutions like the Austin Pain Clinic exist to offer specialised options to sufferers of chronic pain which do not involve the ingestion of pharmaceuticals.

Pain interferes with the ability of its sufferer to work, sleep, and enjoy their life. Other health conditions (for example, obesity) can be aggravated by chronic pain and the effect may snowball into issues such as depression and anxiety. Drugs are a short term fix; long term, there needs to be another option for management of pain. Surgery is an extreme step to take; there are a range of other options available. These may require a trial and error approach until the right combination of therapies and treatments is found.

Some available options for pain relief without drugs or major surgery include:

• Massage – not just a great tool for relaxation, massage relieves muscular pain and stiffness. It enhances the operation of the circulatory and lymphatic systems to remove toxins which can build up in the body and contribute to pain.
• Rest – often overlooked, it goes without saying that rest in an important factor in the recovery from injury and the experience of pain.
• Physiotherapy – strengthening the body through exercises specific to your needs will promote healing and prevent further injury if pain is a result of overuse or a specific injury. Even arthritic pain may be relieved by strengthening the muscles which surround affected joints.
• Cutaneous Stimulation – involves application of heat and cold to the skin to soothe discomfort. Cold is best for inflammation or aching from overexertion; heat treatment works well for muscle cramping and stiffness.
• Dietary Changes – food have their own impacts on the body and some foods are known to cause an inflammatory response, while others assist the problem. Some of the best anti-inflammatory foods one can eat include broccoli, olive oil, green tea, blueberries and kumera.
• Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy – available in institutions like the Austin Pain Clinic, this therapeutic model uses the body's own healing mechanisms to heal injured muscles, ligaments and tendons. The patient's own plasma is extracted from a blood sample with a very high concentration of platelets, and is reinjected directly into the injured area to promote healing.
• Epidural Steroids – an injection of powerful corticosteroids into the epidural space adjacent to the spinal cord to treat inflammation due to spinal stenosis, herniated discs, and degenerative disease.
• Radiofrequency Ablation – uses an electrical current from a radio wave to heat a small area of nerve tissue and thus remove or decrease the pain signal from the area.

There are many more medication-free pain management options – it is simply a matter of seeking professional, specialised advice from doctors or other allied health professionals who can help work out the best plan for each individual.