Chronic pain is a global, rising issue for adults and some children. 20% of people worldwide suffer from chronic pain of some type.
You probably know someone with chronic pain. If you are a totally rad friend, you are shopping for that person for a holiday coming up. Chanukah gift? Kwanza? Solstice? Christmas? Get your person a gift they can actually use, and one they will truly appreciate. People with chronic pain have different ideas of a good time, so I am here to make it way easier to buy things for them!
I am an Amazon Affiliate and will receive a small compensation if you purchase anything from some of the links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
I have chronic pain and there a few products that I could not function without.
-
Heated Blankets
Starting first with my heating blankets! I have to stay warm, I am cold most of the time, I even have a heating blanket and/or heating pad on even during Summer, and in the desert, summers can be brutal. It’s a dry heat. IDK, that’s what ppl say.
Sunbeam makes amazing heating products, I own several, and plan to own more.
This heating blanket has cheetah print!
They will love it, trust me.
From the website:
- Sunbeam, America’s #1 Electric Heated Blanket! Turn down your thermostat and still relax in warmth and comfort
- Fleece: Soft and comfortable fabric; Made from 100 percent Polyester
- Easy to use multi-setting controller with 3 heat settings and 3-hour auto-off feature
- Sunbeam electric throw is machine washable and dryer safe
- Heated electric throw dimensions: 50″ x 60″
And Amazon has a lot more style options if your person isn’t a cheetah kinda’ person.
Sherpa!
You cannot go wrong with these. In my experience, Sunbeam blankets and heating pads outlast a lot of other brands, and for their price, you can’t beat it. They don’t fall apart quickly, the cords don’t break with hard core use, they stand up to a lot of abuse and rough times. You can trust these guys. ALSO the heating blankets get hotter than any other I have tried, as well as their heating pads, and with chronic pain, that is a must. If we could stick hot irons in a pillowcase and place that on our hurts, we would.
Moving on.
2 Amazon Echo Dot Smart Plug ON SALE!
I am obsessed with this. The Dot is actually something I don’t have but desperately want. This little guy does everything!
You connect it to special plugins that come with it so it can do stuff for you! For someone who suffers from pain and immobility issues or severe lethargy, this is a life-saver. You can turn on and off your lights with your voice, you can order things off of Amazon, you can order delivery food, play specific songs, as it to look up facts on Wiki or play songs that you want to hear. All with your voice.
Dot is the future, and people with disabilities or immobility have never had this much freedom. This is a great gift for someone who suffers from pain or immobility. Mostly me.
3. Grocery or Food Delivery
One of the most useful and unique ways to show your person you care and that you really want to help is gifting them with fresh food delivery. Order healthy foods for them to be delivered to their door, or even prepared frozen meals easy for them to heat up in the oven or microwave, and no hassle. No one wants to go out and shop when they feel like crap, and if you are someone who is always saying “Let me know if I can do anything.” and they never do, this is something you can do. There are many services that offer delivery of cooked meals, and even a local grocery store like Albertson’s or Kroger has delivery service. Call ahead, order the food and pay, and have it delivered.
Blue Apron has amazing deals on superior fresh food. They only ship to the US, and only the lower 48, so Alaska and Hawaii, you’re (as usual) not invited to this one. Next time though.
Plated.com is another similar program to Blue Apron, but I am unable to find out if they deliver to outside the US.
Whole Foods even has a home delivery program! Find out what services are available in your area, and order your friend a gift they will actually appreciate.
4. Topical Creams for pain
This may not apply to your person, I would try to make sure they have no allergies or sensitivities to topical agents, especially those with mentholatum in them, or any ‘caine products. You may be able to ask someone who is close to them before purchasing these
I could not live without topicals. I don’t take any narcotics, just a muscle relaxer and a medicine for nerve pain, so I rely heavily on alternative forms of pain control.
My favorite above all is Icy Hot ADVANCED.
It has more mentholatum and (other ingredients) than most topical you can get over the counter. It lasts longer and the sensation it gives might be more of a distraction from the pain and inflammation one has during a flare-up, but any distraction is good. I prefer this topical over Biofreeze, even their professional line. They both work about the same, but it seems the IcyHot ADVANCED goes deeper.
You can also gift them a pack of lidocaine patches.
While these are 4%, one percent under pharmaceutical, the pain relief is better than some other types of pain patches that use only a small percentage of menthol. I like this brand because they stay on the skin well. Find out if your giftee has sensitive skin, as these might cause a severe reaction, as well as making sure your giftee does not have any caine allergies before presenting this rad gift.
I have to throw this stuff in also, as my cousin swears by it.
5. Neck Pillows
These are great for any type of traveling, short distances to longer. This one molds to whatever direction you need it to and is memory foam. 
6. TENS Unit
I couldn’t have the issues that I have and function without the occasional use of a TENS Unit. It uses electrical impulses through the skin to release spasms, tension, and relieve inflammation. 
I am providing a couple of different options for buyers because there are so many. These are the ones I would buy for myself had I not already had one, or if gifting it to someone with chronic pain.
and a smaller option, for travel, or where you might want discretion.
[email protected] Professional Grade TENS Unit
This one is a little pricier but is of a higher quality, rechargeable battery, longer use out of each session, and more settings and features.
Do your research on a TENS Unit before your purchase, and again, make sure the giftee has no skin sensitivities with sticky pads or tape or anything placed on their skin.
7. Weighted Blankets
A lot of people with chronic pain experience overall anxiety when dealing with their condition. A weighted blanket provides security and a feeling of safety a lot of patients need in order to fall asleep. This is a great gift idea for those with anxiety or trauma issues or just for someone who likes a heaviness on their body when they sleep. They come in different sizes and weights, and I did as much research as possible when choosing these. I only want to speak for products I would give my own family or myself. Below are a few options for weighted blankets from Amazon
Blanket one is from Platinum Health. It is the lightest of all the weighted blankets I can find, and ideal for smaller framed people, or children. It weighs only 12 lbs and comes with a washable cover available in a variety of colors. The cover is a very soft mink-like fabric and is calming to touch. A friend’s daughter has this blanket and it is extremely soft and the weight is not too much.
This one is the same size but is a bit heavier at 15 lbs. Same soft material and high quality, just a bit heavier.
These are nicer, high quality weighted blankets from INALA. It is a bit heavier at 20 lbs and has a few more special features. Weighted blankets are a great gift idea, very unique and personal and always appreciated.
8. Corn Bags
A great alternative to ice packs and hot water bottles are corn bags for pain. They are environmentally friendly and last a bit longer than homemade rice bags, which can smell bad. Corn tends to hold its temperature longer, so getting up to reheat or cool it down is lessened.
They offer so many different patterns, and the covers are all washable and durable.
9. Infrared Heating Pad
Infrared heating pads are the new superior upgrade to regular heating pads and moist heat treatments. The coils are made from jade stone instead of metal and have been proven to penetrate deeper into muscle and provide more heat and more relief from tension and spasms and cramps. I use my infrared heating pad every day along with my older pads, and they are noticeably more therapeutic.
This one is from TherMedic and is the cheaper and smaller of the most popular options on Amazon.
The more expensive and noted higher quality pads are as follows:
A larger one with large jade stones from Healthy Line 95.00
These were all available through Amazon Prime at the time of this post.
10. Amazon Gift Cards
My final suggestion for gift ideas for someone with chronic pain is one of my favorites, even before I had to deal with pain, but even more so after. Amazon Kindle Gift Cards. We spend a lot of time away from events, alone in our houses, wishing we were well enough to be with you and our friends. I know I can not be alone in finding solace in a fantasy world, or in someone’s autobiography, or an audiobook, or even a podcast. I love to read and it provides me with a temporary reprieve from especially bad pain days.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this list, I really hope you found inspiration for something to gift your special someone, and I hope they love it, whatever you get them. Sending spoons and healing vibes to you and yours! Please share this post on Pinterest, as I have made a great graphic for you to use to pretty up your boards. Share it on Twitter, or Facebook, or even in an email, but please share if you think this post may be useful to someone. Thanks!