How to Exercise With Chronic Pain?

Answer 1

Dealing with pain is a common fact of life, but if you're one of the millions of American suffering from a chronic pain disease, such as osteoarthritis, chances are the last thing you want to do is exercise. However, doing so could actually make the pain more severe, according to Chronic Pain Specialist Dr. Mark Borigini. "Rest is seen as a major cause of deconditioning, which in and of itself, can contribute to chronic pain," says Borigini. "Chronic, non-malignant pain is a sensory AND emotional experience. It is incurable, but exercise can provide great assistance in lessening it, and lessening its impact." In turn, getting in your daily 30 minutes of exercise can reduce chronic pain in more subtle ways--such as releasing special chemicals called endorphins, which reduce pain and depression associated with chronic disease. Regular exercise also helps strengthen the muscles and joints, which often weaken from inactivity. This, says Borigini, make regular excise a vital part of any pain management strategy--whether it's osteoarthritis or Back pain caused by spinal stenosis. So how do you exercise with chronic pain? 1. First, talk with your doctor. Although most people can exercise with chronic pain, this doesn't mean it's safe for everyone--and there may be exercises your physician may want you to avoid. Before embarking on any exercise program, first clear it with your doctor first--after all, safety triumphs everything else. 2. Consider workouts that are easy on the joints. Even if you don't deal with joint pain, workouts that aren't hard on the joints are ideal because they're more likely to put less stress on the body, therefore making it easier to work out. Your best bet: Swimming is the easiest on the joints and also helps soothe any aches; walking is also good if you don't have access to a pool. 3. Start exercising at the first sign of pain. It may seem counter-intuitive to exercise when you first start experiencing pain, but according to experts, it works--and it often helps physicians understand why you experiencing the pain in the first pain. Continuing to work out while experiencing chronic pain can also help minimize it in the long run, provided you aren't ignoring serious pains caused by strains or injury. Again, make sure to talk with your doctor before beginning any exercise program--safety triumphs everything!