Treat Your Pain at VA

Learn about 3 ways to relieve your pain

Got aches? You’re not alone. Almost 70 percent of Veterans feel pain at some point or another. In fact, chronic pain is more common in Veterans than in the general population. Over the years, VA has found new ways to help with the pain. Below, we have 3 different treatments VA offers to help relieve your pain.

Try cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (CBT-CP) is available to Veterans throughout the VA health care system. This treatment is known to be useful for managing chronic pain in Veterans. Veteran James Paton said, “I highly recommend cognitive behavioral therapy for any Veteran experiencing pain. You can change your perspective with relationships and then with your own perception of who you are while dealing with chronic pain.”

Learn accupressure self-care over video 

Many Veterans use acupuncture and acupressure to support their relief. These and other integrative treatments are available through VA Video Connect. VA providers will show you self-care through acupressure, exercise, coaching, and other well-being approaches. One Veteran said, “Doing acupressure decreased my pain overall, and I feel a lot better. It makes you feel better and happier because you’re not in pain. So, your mood is different.”

Watch this video to learn an acupressure self-care routine for low back pain:

Or try these videos to learn acupressure self-care for neck pain or headaches.

Treat pain with VA’s Whole Health

Whole Health combines standard medicine and integrative health with personalized planning, self-care approaches, and more. Veteran TaTanisha Randell said, “I was doing a lot of yoga and meditation, and Whole Health was integral in dealing with the aches and pains, which helped me lose weight and feel healthier overall.”

It's important to remember that not all treatments are available at every VA facility. Talk to your doctor using Secure Messaging to figure out what’s best for you.

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