Staying active is one of the best things you can do for your health as you get older. Movement keeps your heart healthy and joints strong, and it’s even good for your cognitive health. For many older adults, though, chronic pain can make staying active feel impossible. Everyday tasks like walking the dog or working in the garden can be overwhelming when you are in pain. If that’s happening to you, it’s time to make an appointment with our Ritzville pain management clinic.
East Adams Rural Healthcare partners with HPM Pain Management to bring you expert pain care closer to home. They can help you find solutions to ease long-term pain without surgery so you can keep moving and enjoying the activities you love long into your golden years.
Learn more or request an appointment with HPM
Why Pain Becomes More Common with Age
Our bodies go through a lot of changes as we get older. Joints begin losing some of their cushion, and you might find it harder to maintain strength in your muscles. All those years of wear and tear can start to add up. Many people are more prone to developing conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis, sciatica, and nerve damage as they get older, too. While some of these changes are natural and often expected, they can lead to chronic pain in your lower back, hips, knees, and neck.
Many older adults believe that pain is the price they pay for getting older. That’s not true. Pain is a signal from your body that something isn’t right, and there are ways to treat pain in order to limit its impact on your lifestyle and overall well-being.
Why Staying Active in Your Later Years Matters
Being able to move without pain can be life-changing! Imagine being able to go on long walks to catch up with old friends, or playing in the backyard with your grandchildren—or even do something as simple as moving around your house without feeling the effects of chronic pain. Staying active can help you maintain your independence much later in life. It can also bring benefits like:
- Better sleep
- Improved mental health
- Reduce your risk of falls
- Stronger bones and muscles
If pain keeps you from moving, it can make everything in life feel harder. Easing your pain can help you stay active and connected with your community and the things you care about. That’s what we’re here for.
What a Pain Management Clinic Does
Pain management clinics diagnose and treat ongoing pain that doesn’t go away on its own. Clinics like HPM in Ritzville use tools and therapies to help patients reduce discomfort, improve function, and regain control over their daily lives. These clinics don’t just treat your symptoms, but instead focus on identifying the source of pain and developing a plan to stop it.
Visiting a pain management clinic can give you access to proven treatments such as:
- Injections such as steroids or joint injections, which reduce inflammation and pain.
- Radiofrequency ablation, which provides longer-term relief by targeting nerve endings.
- Nerve blocks, which interrupt pain signals from targeted nerves.
- Medication management when appropriate, using safe and carefully monitored prescriptions.
- Physical therapy, which helps to improve strength, flexibility, and balance.
- Lifestyle guidance to help you make changes that can ease pain, such as weight management or improving sleep habits.
The goal of a pain management clinic is to personalize a treatment plan built around your needs and goals so you can move more comfortably and confidently. Your treatment plan may involve a combination of treatments depending on your symptoms and the source of your pain.
By using methods that don’t require invasive surgery, recovery times are typically much shorter and involve less risk of complications.
Local Convenient Care So You Don’t Limit Your Lifestyle
Access to pain specialists shouldn’t come at the price of long, uncomfortable drives and months of waiting to be seen. EARH makes pain care convenient by teaming up with the HPM Pain Management team right here in Ritzville.
As certified pain management experts, the HPM team listens and learns in order to understand your symptoms and goals—from there, they create a personalized plan to manage your pain at the source. They can also coordinate ongoing care with your EARH family doctor or our physical therapists.
Find the support you need, close to home. With the right care, you can keep moving and enjoying the things that make life meaningful! Make an appointment with the HPM Pain Management team at EARH today.
