The reality of exercising with chronic pain
You’ve been hurting a long time. Movement is hard, more movement seems impossible. Things you might consider exercise seem to be very far away. The idea of exercising with chronic pain seems crazy. I can remember a time it felt impossible to believe I would ever be able to exert myself in any way without always” paying” for it…
For over 20 years I was told:
Not to twist
No lunging
No no to uneven movements
ABSOLUTELY not to swim
Please don’t lift anything heavy
Be careful so very careful I didn’t put my SI out of place.
To be oh so very careful with every movement I made like I was a fragile china doll. I talk about the harshness of feeling so fragile here, maybe you can relate. All of these decrees from loving and caring medical professionals made it so I ended up in a deep dark depressing prison. Movement meant the pain would come. Can any of you relate to this?
My movement became a punishment.
I felt that my body was punishing my mind for wanting to exercise even though I had back pain. How could that be?
Experiencing pain with exercise
Let me be the first to reassure you, any increase in activity is bound to cause a negative sensation, no matter if you experience pain or not! With all of the restrictions through 2020, my family and I have become terribly sedentary. We are all feeling the effects of not moving for a long time and then starting again!
I know that movement, exercise is not harming me or my muscles, or my joints in any way whatsoever, yet I have pain and discomfort now that I have started my walking program.
Many would think this is a sign of damage, that I have done too much and harmed my body, I will remind you a slow-paced 20-minute walk is not beyond my capability. I can walk all day at Disney and run multiple errands in a day that require hours of shopping and not feel the same effects.
I am adding to my norm. That has my body’s attention. I am asking it to do additional work and giving it an additional load. So it needs time to respond and gain the ability to do as I ask. Honestly, this is no different than your body.
Discomfort is part of enlarging our lives.
Join me and think about that for a minute. What have you done in your life that has enlarged it, that hasn’t been uncomfortable, frightening, painful? Maybe I am weird, but I can’t think of anything I’ve done to reach a goal, or try something new that hasn’t been frightening. From leaving home and heading to college, to moving to new cities for a new job, to getting married, getting divorced, starting a new relationship post-divorce, starting a new exercise program, trying a new physical therapist. My list could go on and on. I bet yours can too.
Every time I start something new, it comes with uncertainty and discomfort. And every time I have to handle that. ( It can be exhausting, but it’s always worth it!) If I choose not to be in pain or discomfort, I wouldn’t be able to do anything more than I am right now. That’s not enough for me. Is it enough for you?
How do you know it’s safe to move or exercise with pain?
Have you ever noticed movement prison is all focused around people not knowing what to do to help you, so they say don’t do that… yet they never tell you when you can start moving again. As we discussed last week, there are a lot of benefits to movement/ exercise.
When we talk about safety I think it’s important to remember a few things.
- It’s not safe to move a broken or healing bone until it’s healed.
- Surgery on various body parts requires various post-op precautions.
- If you have these or any other number of diagnoses you must approach movement and exercise with more mindfulness of your situation.
- Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS)
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
- Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
The reality is, most diagnoses from SI joint dysfunction, to Degenerative Disc Disease, Osteoarthritis, and Herniated Discs without nerve root impingement, your various “itis” diagnosis, they all require movement to be healthy!
Arthritis is a great example of why exercising with chronic pain is a good thing. The pain of arthritis is actually made worse by not moving. Pain in the joint may cause inactivity which leads to stiffness, which leads to increased pain, which leads to inactivity, and so on. When we can break out of movement prison with gentle exercise, it increases circulation, gives nourishment to the joint, and will strengthen the muscles around the joint.
It’s ok to exercise with chronic pain
Not moving is not a good look on any of us. It creates more pain via stiffness and lack of nourishment to the joints and tissues. Our bodies need to move to be healthy. That doesn’t mean we can’t take a day to hide in bed when nothing is working to tame our pain. However, it does mean prolonged static activities will hurt us more than help us.
Pain, at its very base, is a warning. Not a warning of damaged tissue like we once thought. Above all, it is a warning something isn’t right with the person as a whole being. Your pain is always trying to get your attention and tell you something.
What if it were trying to get your attention to get you moving again?
With the use of tools like pacing and graded exercise, anyone can get moving again, no matter how long or how much pain there has been. There is always a way. I love helping people get back to the things they love. Learning they can exercise with chronic pain and it can turn out ok! Meanwhile, if you are ready to start moving again, book a 60 min consult with me here.
