It’s hard to watch someone you care for enduring chronic pain, whether it be unrelenting back strains, sensitive joints, muscle spasms, migraines, or something else entirely. It’s natural to want to find a gift that bring a smile to their face and, perhaps, make their life just a little bit easier. 

To help inspire, we’ve compiled a list of different gifts perfect for people dealing with chronic pain. Keep in mind that these are general ideas; the recipient’s specific condition and limitation should be kept in mind when you make your final selection. 

Topical Pain Relief Gift Ideas

Pain relief roller

Pain relief rollers are a particularly practical gift, as they are easy to carry for on-the-go usage whenever and wherever pain strikes. What’s more, the container is designed for mess-free application and easy access to hard-to-reach areas like the upper back and neck. To make this pain-relieving gift worthwhile, keep an eye out for plant-based, luxury ingredients like CBD, menthol, and lidocaine. 

Muscle rub

When searching for gifts for individuals with chronic back or knee pain, it’s hard to be a high-quality muscle rub. Sharing the same consistency of a balm, it can be massaged into the affected area for a true treat. As is the case for Botanika Life’s CBD muscle rub, the menthol and lidocaine swiftly delivers relief while the CBD helps suppress inflammation and keep pain at bay for the following hours. 

Pain cream

A pain cream is a wonderful gift for those facing recurring aches. Offering targeted relief, it soothes discomfort and promotes relaxation effectively. Its practicality and convenience empower recipients to manage their pain with ease, significantly enhancing their quality of life with every use.

Icing & Heating Pain-Relieving Gifts

One of the first lines of defense against chronic pain typically involves heating and cooling the painful area. Trading off between heat and ice application helps reduce muscle soreness, tension, and inflammation.

Here are some great heating and cooling gifts for people who have chronic pain.

Cryo Massage Roller

By stimulating blood circulation and reducing inflammation, using a frozen cryo massage roller can soothe back, knee, and even arthritis pain. And is there a better pain-relieving gift than that? 

Applying ice or cold packs to painful areas of the body can be helpful but often messy. Using a cryo massage roller with a handle that protects your hand offers a way to work out muscle knots, reduce inflammation, and even massage cooling pain-relieving ingredients like menthol or CBD into the skin.

Heating Pads

A heating pad is another ideal gift for people with chronic pain. Powered by electricity, heating pads maintain constant heat, offering effective and inexpensive relief.

Heat therapy works by increasing the levels of oxygen and nutrients traveling to damaged tissues while decreasing the brain’s pain signals. This enables muscles and soft tissue to expand, allowing for increased flexibility, which is ideal for neck pain relief and chronic back aches.

Heated neck and back wraps are another option, which can be microwaved and stay warm for up to a half hour. Applying constant heat to sore or painful muscles can be a great way to relieve chronic discomfort.

Massage or Spa Treatment

A spa or massage treatment is a pain relief gift idea that will surely be a big hit. Getting a massage from a certified massage therapist can offer many benefits for people with back and neck pain.

Massage helps to relieve pain by releasing endorphins, increasing blood circulation, and interrupting the pain cycle that occurs with chronic pain issues. Spa treatments can also be helpful by reducing stress and anxiety, helping to put the body at ease.

Luxury Bath Products

The popularity of luxury bath products has hit a high, particularly with the rise of bath bombs as a natural solution for alleviating muscle tension, stress, and pain. Ideal for those seeking pampering pain relief, fizzy bath bombs provide relief from muscle pain, soreness, bruising, and even swelling, making them a delightful and effective gift choice.

Weighted Blanket

A guaranteed hit for anyone with chronic discomfort can be found in the form of a weighted blanket. This is a natural solution for pain relief and can aid in sleep, which is often negatively impacted when people suffer from persistent pain. 

Chronic pain is linked to high cortisol levels, low serotonin, and poor sleep. Deep pressure touch from a weighted blanket can help reduce someone’s cortisol stress hormone and increase serotonin. This therapeutic pressure can reduce pain and calm the nervous system, making weighted blankets an ideal gift choice.

Acupressure Mat

Acupressure mats are a proven and effective way to manage pain at home. Many people are not aware of the benefits acupressure mats offer, making it an ideal gift to give someone who suffers from chronic back or neck pain. Lying on an acupressure mat for a few minutes daily can help relieve muscle tension, improve circulation, and reduce discomfort.

Inspirational Reading

Research indicates that reading can be a useful therapy for those who suffer from chronic pain. Reading inspirational books and articles can help address negative emotions and past trauma that may be contributing to the various aches. 

Focusing on positivity and healing encourages the brain to send pain-mitigating messages to the body which can positively affect one's mood, severity of pain, and coping abilities.

Studies have also shown that inspirational reading may affect the hormone cortisol, known as the "fight or flight" hormone. This hormone is directly related to stress and can negatively impact inflammation and pain. Just a half hour of reading can decrease cortisol, positively impacting a person's pain levels.

If you are looking for a gift for someone who struggles with chronic back, neck, or other pain, a pain management workbook is a popular choice for inspirational reading. Another option is to opt for an inquisitive and natural book offering a pain treatment model.

Gift Card for Custom Insoles

Even though this might not be your first thought for a gift, giving someone who experiences chronic back pain custom shoe insoles could drastically improve their everyday life.

Orthotic insoles might be the answer to a hidden cause of back pain - unstable feet. When someone has unstable footwear, or one leg is even a tad longer than the other, it can add stress on the hips, knees, ankles, spine, and lower back. Giving someone a gift card toward custom insoles is a useful and creative gift for those suffering from pain.

Fresh Produce Delivery

Everybody needs to eat, and chronic pain can make grocery shopping and preparing food difficult. Gifting someone healthy prepared meals or fresh produce delivery can be one of the best gifts possible. 

Another option is to order healthy pre-made meals from a company which offers an easy way to eat healthy food while dealing with chronic health issues. The gift of fresh produce or healthy prepared meals also lessens the number of chores for people dealing with pain while giving easy access to nutrient-dense foods.

Gift Card for House Cleaning

While everyone may enjoy a clean house, those with arthritis, knee, or back pain likely don't have the energy and agility it takes to keep a house consistently clean. A gift card toward a professional house cleaner is sure to be appreciated, allowing your friend or family member to enjoy a tidier home without flaring up their chronic pain issues.

Roomba

Robotic vacuums are the perfect pain relief gift for those with chronic ailments or for elderly friends or family. These handy little machines can easily navigate around someone’s home, picking up dirt and debris without any manual labor.

Gifts With Playful Humor

If there is anything you should know about someone living with chronic pain, it's that it takes a toll not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. Giving uplifting gifts can be daily reminders of hope, love, or happiness, which are uplifting for someone dealing with daily pain. Examples include a funny coffee mug, a keychain with a special saying printed on it, silly socks, or a photo blanket with pictures of friends or family printed on it.

Gift Card to Uber or Lyft

For times when walking or even driving is difficult for someone, a gift card for Uber or Lyft is a wonderful gift for people who have difficulty moving. Whether it's arthritis, knee, or back pain, all chronic issues can get in the way of daily life. On particularly trying days, a gift card can encourage someone to make their life a little easier without worrying about the cost.

Essential Oils

When people feel calm, their muscles are more likely to be relaxed. Giving the gift of relaxation can go a long way toward helping someone feel better both mentally and physically. Essential oils like lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus are calming oils that also contain anti-inflammatory properties. Diluted with a carrier oil, essential oils can be applied to skin to help ease back pain, added to a bath, or placed in a diffuser that releases these calming scents into the air.

Shop for Pain-Relieving Solutions From Botanika Life

Explore Botanika Life's pain relief offerings, harnessing full-spectrum CBD oil extracted from organically grown hemp. Blended with plant-based ingredients like arnica, lidocaine, and menthol, our products penetrate deeply to alleviate pain at its source. Discover our range of cleanly formulated, vegan solutions rigorously tested by third-party labs.

By Emily Wegener

With a unique background as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Masters Degree in Teaching and experience in Psychology, Emily spends much of her time researching and trying out new holistic healing modalities.