Why You Should Move Even if You Have Pain

No one wants to feel more pain than is necessary. As humans, we do just about anything we can to avoid it. If you are coping with a chronic pain injury chances are you don’t move as much as you used to because you are afraid you may make your pain worse. You may wonder, which movements will flare me up? Which movements are safe for me to do? How much movement is too much? Those are all valid questions and we address all of those things in our FRP program or in private sessions. However, let me make this clear:

You need to move.

We were designed to move and when we don’t then a ton of not-so-great happen. To name a few:

1.       Our muscles get weaker

2.       We lose our flexibility

3.       We stop participating in the things that make us happy (you know, fun!)

4.       We make existing pain worse

5.       We hurt in new areas

6.       We predispose ourselves to injury

7.       We produce less natural endorphins which helps us fight off depression and maintain energy levels.

Those don’t sound very fun, do they? However, even if you know you should move more there still can be a lot of fear to increase your activity level. Here are some tips for getting in more daily movement even if you are struggling with chronic pain:

1.       Take a walk outside (the fresh air and sunshine helps!)

2.       Move in water (it doesn’t have to be swimming. Just getting into the shallow end of the pool and moving around can help.)

3.       Sit less. Try to stand or walk around for an extra 15-30 minutes per day than you normally do.

4.       Take off your shoes and socks and walk a little bit on grass or sand (it’s great for your back.)

5.       See a qualified professional who can help you move more and move safely.

Chronic pain can feel very limiting but that doesn’t mean that you can’t move at all. The great thing is, people often experience less pain when their lifestyles are more active.

If you want to move more but know you need more coaching, instruction and monitoring then please contact us at SPARC. We would love to help you move more and take back your life!

Devin