In addition to medication, there are other treatment options. The type of treatment that suits you best depends on the cause of your pain. Discuss your options with your doctor.

TENS
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) uses low-voltage electrical currents applied through electrodes taped to the skin. This may keep pain signals from reaching the brain.

Injections
Injection therapies include:

• Nerve blocks - a local anaesthetic is injected to numb nerves in the painful area
• Trigger point injections - anaesthetic is injected into painful 'knots' of muscle, usually in the back, neck or shoulder.
• Epidural steroid injections - steroids are injected into the space just outside the spinal cord; this relieves pain and inflammation.
• Intra-articular steroid injections - steroids may be injected into painful joints two to three times a year to help relieve arthritic pain.

Other procedures
The following procedures are more invasive and may be an option if other treatments do not work:

• Spinal cord stimulation - an implanted electronic device sends signals to the spine. It may help block pain by replacing it with a more pleasant feeling.  
• Implanted spinal pump - this implanted pump contains pain medication. You can control the dose within a range set by your doctor. 
• Nerve ablation techniques - heat, cold or chemicals are used to destroy nerves near a painful area. This prevents some pain signals from travelling to the brain.

Surgery
In some cases, surgery may be appropriate in pain management. Some surgical procedures may be performed in a clinic under local anaesthesia, but others may require hospital admission. The following are some of the examples.:

• Arthroscopy - reveals joint damage by allowing your doctor to see the inside of your joint directly using a tool called an arthroscope. This method is mostly done on knees and shoulders.
• Plantar fasciotomy - relieves strain on the plantar fascia by making a small cut in the tissue. Usually performed when medication and devices used to control foot movement do not provide pain relief. 
• Osteotomy - cuts and repositions bone to correct bone deformity and the forces across weight-bearing joints, as in the cases of osteoarthritis. 
• Total joint replacement - the damaged joint is surgically removed and replaced with synthetic (metal, ceramic or plastic) parts to restore function. This procedure has been widely performed for knees and hips.