Staying active is an important part of mitigating your chronic pain symptoms. Exercise is shown to reduce your pain levels, reduce inflammation, and increase mobility. Exercise can help strengthen your muscles and when your muscles are strong and working properly, they can better support your body.
While for many, your normal physical activities have been canceled or changed due to COVID, there are so many exercises you can still participate in while staying safe. We have compiled a list of the best exercises for those suffering from chronic pain.
- Stretching- Stretching is important before and after any type of physical activity. However, stretching on its own can be an impactful exercise. It can improve your flexibility and range of motion.
- Yoga- Yoga is a great exercise for your mind and body. It is great for improving mobility, flexibility, and posture. It is also proven to be a great stress reliever. Stress can cause you to experience more pain, so developing a way to combat this stress can help prevent yourself from adding more pain to your overall pain levels.
- Walking- Walking is a great low-impact exercise that you can do nearly anywhere. Lucky for us, the Dallas weather is still nice this time of year, we can socially distance and take a walk outside in our neighborhoods. However, if you don’t choose to do so, you can take a couple of laps around your home, or a treadmill. Walking can increase blood flow, reduce stiffness and pain, and boost energy.
- Swimming- Swimming is another great low impact exercise for chronic pain. It is a great physical activity for your cardiovascular health while being very gentle on your joints. While you are swimming you are using a variety of muscles including your legs, back, and arms.
- Strengthening Exercises- We talked earlier about how having strong muscles helps support your body. When you strengthen your muscles, you are relieving the stress off of your joints as well. Strengthening exercises are great for this.
Strengthening does not have to mean lifting the heaviest weights. You can use resistance bands or smaller weights, or things that you have around your home. You want to start off easy so you do not do more harm to your body. And as always, you want to consult your doctor or pain management specialist before starting off with a strength training routine to be sure that you are doing what is best for you and your body.
Keeping your body active is a great way to reduce your pain. You don’t have to have access to a gym or classes to have a physical exercise regime in place. You can be active anywhere.
For those who experience chronic pain, exercise alone can not keep their symptoms under control. If you find yourself experiencing pain, Progressive Pain and Interventional Psychiatry is here to help you. We offer a variety of pain management treatments that can help you live a more pain-free life. Give us a call today,(214) 974-4403 to schedule a consultation.