A Better Drug

These days many individuals are looking for ways to manage their pain without having to rely on the use of pain medication and/or muscle relaxers. We all know that the long-term use of these drugs can have adverse side effects on the body. There are many other methods that can be done to help with pain management without the use of these drugs.  For example, things like massage, spinal manipulation, acupuncture, prayer and many other types of therapies, can bring pain relief without the need for medication. One of, if not, the best ways to help manage pain is using video games as a form of recreation.

Playing certain types of games can distract you from any outside influences. They also help to release the body's own natural pain inhibitors, such as endorphins and adrenalin. Not every type of game has this type of effect but many studies have proven that certain genres can help reduce pain. Games such as First Person Shooters, Action Adventure, Massively Multiplayer and Sports, all trigger the release of chemicals that reduce pain.

Proven Pain Management

Studies have shown that video games can be successfully used as a form of pain management.  In fact, the most tested and proven genres for pain management are First Person Shooter games. These types of games are fast paced; require quick thinking and quick reaction times. In addition, you must constantly pay attention to your surroundings and learn to use the right strategy for each map.  Because FPS's call for your complete and absolute focus, forcing your brain to be less focused on areas of pain and other problems going on around you.

Gaming can be very immersive experience, and games can take you to another place, time and/or world that you would never get a chance to see or visit otherwise. If you can get into a game enough that the world around you disappears, and that game ultimately takes away your everyday pain, then it should play an important role in your everyday life.

Comments (3)

T E

August 14, 2009

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When I had a nasty pressure sore on my back I found spending time playing on the Xbox 360 (Geometry Wars and Worms) took my mind off the agonising pain, although I suppose the combination of high-strength Paracetamol and Ibuprofen helped matters too.

Zi Jian

August 31, 2009

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A few months ago, I had the worst rheumatoid arthritis flare up of my life. In the time it took me to walk across a room, I went from having slight neck pain to being effectively paralyzed from pain in my joints. I was stuck in a chair for seven hours because it hurt too much to move.

Thankfully, I had a game controller in reach. If I didn't have a copy of Disgaea 3 in my PS3, I don't think I would have survived!

...Well, okay, I would have survived but I would have been bored out of my skull. Since then, I've made a habit of playing games to deal with morning arthritis pain while waiting for my meds kick in. At the very least, during especially bad mornings, it's a great distraction.

Though, I haven't tried FPS games for this purpose, I usually play RPGs (Suikoden, Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea). I'll get a used FPS next time I'm out and see if there's any difference. Thanks for the tip!

Charlayne Denney

August 31, 2009

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I am dealing with a severe, long term fibromyalgia flare that is being fueled by a degenerative back arthritis issue and now breast cancer. The pain gets to be pretty bad at times.

My kids fixed me up with a copy of World of Warcraft and I got to playing. I bought a laptop and a lapdesk. I can get my tea, the remote for the TV, my phone, blanket, and then sit down and use the laptop to connect to my outside world of friends and then dive into the world of Azeroth and forget that I'm sick, I can be a blood elf mage or an undead paladin or anything else, joining with others for awhile.

I'm glad to hear that this has been shown to be a real pain suppressant. I may go spread the news to some of my other friends who are dealing with fibro...

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