Exercise for Pain
One of the top recommendations for dealing with chronic pain is getting regular exercise. This is going to help with a lot of different types of pain, from helping with arthritis by getting your body moving, to boosting your mood when you have pain from Crohn’s or fibromyalgia. Here are some things to know about exercising for chronic pain.
The Power of Exercise For Chronic Pain
Your Joints Get Stretched Out
A good reason to get regular exercise when you have chronic pain is that it helps to stretch and work out your joints. You may have pain from your joints because of arthritis, a previous injury, or because you used to play sports and were a little hard on your body. With arthritis, it can hurt to stand up and walk around, but this is also important. By sitting still for too long, you will actually make it hurt a lot worse when you do have to get up and move around. Moving regularly, but not too intensely, is ideal with arthritis and other joint pain.
Exercise Helps to Strengthen Your Muscles
You also want to strengthen your muscles if you deal with physical pain. Your muscles can help to support your body, making it easier to get out of bed or out of the bathtub. When your muscles start to weaken, everything is harder, which means your body goes through a lot more work to move, making different types of pain worse. Try to strengthen your muscles with regular exercise, combining cardio and weight training.
It is Good For Mental Health
Exercise isn’t just good for your physical health, but mental health as well. Having chronic pain puts you through a lot, where you often experience mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and stress. With exercise, you are boosting the happy chemicals in your brain, including endorphins and melatonin, which will boost your mood and help with mental health illnesses. You will be able to handle the chronic pain a little better.
You Can Avoid Obesity
Having extra weight on your body is hard on your joints and back, so if you have chronic back pain or arthritis, keeping that weight off is important. Exercise, along with a healthy diet, is the first step to getting rid of excess weight and managing it long-term. Talk to your doctor if you are having trouble losing weight and they should provide more help for you.