Besides medications and medical procedures, you can lessen your pain with physical therapy and other noninvasive treatments.
“Using physical therapy and encouraging activity is extremely important to assist and improve joint pain or instability around joints due to weakened muscles as well as prevent or improve pain from immobility,” says Hurst.
Physical and Occupational Therapy
Physical therapy can help you prevent muscle weakness and stiffness, which can cause even more pain.
Occupational and physical therapists also offer desensitization therapy, which retrains how your brain manages pain messages.
During this treatment, your therapist may place a warm or cold pack on the painful area and gradually adjust the pressure or temperature until your body gets used to the sensation.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
Another treatment called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) sends mild electric currents through electrodes on your skin. TENS can change how your nerves send and receive pain signals.
Unlike SCS, TENS doesn’t require a medical procedure, and it can be less expensive and more convenient. TENS works best for small areas of pain.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in helping treat neuropathic pain.
While the research on acupuncture for CIDP specifically is lacking, studies have found acupuncture to be effective and safe in reducing the intensity of neuropathic pain caused by chemotherapy or related to diabetes.
Lifestyle Changes
You can lessen nerve pain by adding regular exercise to your weekly routine.
Many people with nerve pain find that walking and swimming work well for relief.
A healthy anti-inflammatory diet — with nutrient-dense foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish — can be an important part of managing autoimmune disorders like CIDP. This also means avoiding processed foods and foods high in saturated fats and added sugars.
Psychological Therapy
Psychological therapies can also help you manage CIDP pain, alongside other symptoms, says Dr. Lynch. “What’s important to recognize is that pain in CIDP, like with other chronic diseases, rarely exists in isolation — depression and fatigue so often coexist. It’s about treating the whole patient, not just the nerve.”
