Let's face it, pain is an important part of our life. It helps us discover that something is not right in our body, and protects us from potential, even more harmful and painful dangers, and makes us more aware of what we do to our body. These are just some of the good point of having experienced pain, but it can be really hard to deal once pain strikes. And with the passing of time, the wear and tear of the joint and muscles eventually leads to further aches. Knowing what to do before the actual thing hits can really help in avoiding unnecessary and sometimes misdiagnosed aches that people experience when they age. Pain during aging is just natural, but there are some things that can be done. For some tips, try these:

1) It's time to speak up about your pain. - Studies report that senior citizens complain less about symptoms.

2) You deserve a diagnosis. - A thorough evaluation can help determine the cause.

3) There always are options. - Acupuncture, medications, physical therapy, chiropractic care, epidural injections — these are some of what we have in our toolkit to help build a pain-free life.

4) Know how to explain your pain. - Pain is considered the fifth vital sign. It is as important to your doctor as your temperature, pulse, respiratory rate and blood pressure. We rate pain on a scale of 1 to 10, with 5 being moderate pain that interferes with daily activities and 10 being excruciating.

5) There is nothing to gain from being in pain. - Know when to take your medicine properly, and don't wait for it to worsen!

6) Just because you use them doesn't mean you'll abuse them. - Many seniors are afraid they will get "hooked" on pain medicines. The truth is that 95 percent of chronic pain patients do not abuse their medication.

7) Watch that acetaminophen. - Acetaminophen (APAP) is in Tylenol, some "non-aspirin" pain relievers and many prescription pain medications. The maximum recommended dose is 4,000 mg per day. People who take prescription and over-the-counter pain medications must watch that they don't exceed that maximum dose.

It doesn't have to be a "pain pill" to treat pain. - Certain anti-depressants and anti-seizure medication are being used to treat pain, especially headaches and nerve pain (neuralgia).

9) If you're not getting relief, you need more information. - If pain isn't controlled, then more testing or specialist evaluation may be needed.

10) Don't give up. - You deserve attention, compassion, and a multi-disciplinary approach to your pain. Ask your doctor for help in finding the right treatment.