Exercise
Always consult a doctor before starting any type of exercise regimen.
For many conditions, exercise has been proven to be a successful way of managing chronic pain.
Plus, steady exercise can help increase flexibility, strengthen the heart and maintain a healthy
weight. It can also help improve your mood and outlook, as well as alleviate anxiety.
The exercise regimen that is right for your kind of chronic pain may involve one or more types of
exercise. Here are 3 examples:
Flexibility
Exercises, such as stretching, may help improve your flexibility, but they do not help you build strength or endurance. However, if your doctor does not want you doing endurance-building or strengthening exercises, you might still be able to do stretching exercises.
Important tips:
- Always warm up before stretching
- Make slow, steady movements into a stretch; never bounce or jerk into a position.
- Don't "lock" your joints in place - you should always have a very small amount of bend in your joints while stretching.
Flexibility exercises can be good tools for managing chronic low back pain and the pain of fibromyalgia.
Talk to your doctor before doing any stretching exercises.
Strengthening
Strengthening exercises work on muscles to help give you added strength for strenuous activities. Most strengthening exercises involve repetitions of pushing or lifting weights to work specific muscle groups.
Some general guidelines for strengthening exercises are:
- Don't do strengthening exercises of the same muscle group for 2 days in a row.
- Gradually add weight to get the full benefit of your exercises.
- Try to do 8 to 15 repetitions in a row.
- Breathe out as you lift or push, and breathe in as you relax. Don't hold your breath.
- Avoid jerking weights. Use smooth, steady movements. Avoid locking your arm and leg joints while exercising.
Strengthening exercises may help to manage chronic low back pain.
Talk to your doctor before doing any strengthening exercises.
Cardiovascular (Aerobic)
Cardiovascular exercises work the large muscles of the arms and legs. These can include activities that will increase your breathing and heart rate, such as walking, biking, swimming and other exercises. Choose an activity or exercise that you enjoy and can do regularly (most days of the week) for a minimum of 30 minutes each (not including warm-up and cool-down times).
Here are some general guidelines for cardiovascular exercises:
- Build your endurance gradually, perhaps starting out with as little as 5 minutes of endurance-building activities at a time.
- If you've been inactive for a long time, it's important to start out at a lower level of effort, and to work your way up gradually.
- Your goal is to build up to a total of at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercises on most or all days of the week. More often is better, and every day is best.
- Stretch after your cardiovascular activities, when your muscles are warm.
- To prevent injuries, use safety equipment - like a bicycle helmet or walking shoes.
Aquatic, aerobic exercises have been shown to provide relief in patients suffering with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia.
Talk to your doctor before doing any endurance-building exercises.
