“I’ve been told that I should exercise, but I can’t see how it’s going to help – even getting up the stairs can flare up my pain! I’ve tried physiotherapy in the past and was discharged as I couldn’t do it.”
The body and mind love movement and gradually becoming more active is essential for treating and managing chronic pain. Some of benefits of exercise include: the joints get nice and lubricated and glide easier; some structures including the nerves and the discs of the spine need movement to get their nutrients and be healthy; the muscles get stronger and don’t fatigue as easily; the nervous system winds down promoting relaxation; reduced flare-ups; improves mood and helps with anxiety and depression. Most importantly, your body produces its own pain relieving medication (e.g endorphins) that work like the pain medication doctors prescribe. After a bout of exercise your pain tolerance increases, things hurt less, and this can last for up to an hour depending on the exercise.
It is important to pace yourself when you are increasing physical activity – have a look at our Pacing page to CLICK HERE
Posture and Movement
Before beginning any activity or exercise, it is important to check in with how your body is positioned- your posture.
Our bodies are happiest when they are ‘aligned’- in a position that minimises the stress on joints and muscles. Here is a link to a video showing how to tune in to your posture CLICK HERE.