Exercise Combats Plainville Chronic Pain and Related Distress
Do you experience chronic pain? You’re not alone! Chronic pain can influence the mind and the body. Over 80% of retired NFL football players reported having pain daily. A recent questionnaire study of them noted that the greater the pain acceptance, the lower the pain intensity they had. (1) Accepting pain is hard though! Fortunately, so many studies show that a little optimism and physical activity improves pain and optimism. For these and more reasons, Layden Chiropractic incorporates exercise into our chronic back pain patients’ Plainville chiropractic treatment plans!
EXERCISE: GOOD FOR BODY AND MIND
Exercise benefits go beyond the physical body improvements. Exercise also improves the mind and outlook of a person in pain, particularly one dealing with chronic low back pain. At the conclusion of a 3-month study of chronic low back pain patients who either exercised or did not, researchers documented that pain disability scores in the exercisers fell significantly more. In both groups, reduced pain scores connected to higher self-efficacy scores (feelings of independence). Chronic low back pain exercisers’ increased disability showed a positive influence on increased self-efficacy and pain relief. (2) Another study of 72 patients before treatment for their chronic pain and after 3 months of treatment documented that improved self-efficacy was associated with lowered disability regardless of any reduction of pain intensity. They concluded that helping chronic pain patients raise their sense of self-efficacy could be a good way to help chronic pain patients cope with pain in addition to just relieving their pain. (3)
OPTIMISM FOR A BETTER, LESS PAINFUL DAY
And an optimistic point of view toward pain can help! Fear-avoidance is a not-too-unusual a problem for patients with pain. They don’t want to do anything to worsen their condition and exacerbate pain which leads to less movement and less optimism for a life without pain. Research showed that patients with longer periods with pain who stated greater self-efficacy and patients with higher pain disability and depression had lower self-efficacy. (4) Understanding this, we support our Plainville pain patients to be active and not avoid living life! ’Better’ is coming!
EXERCISE: Time to Move!
And we all know it: physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle are not beneficial for us. Researchers even write that they are associated with chronic musculoskeletal pain and can even exacerbate it! What is the solution? Physical exercise, of course. Researchers pointed out in a new study that exercise programs that combine a variety of types of exercise – flexibility, balance, aerobic, strengthening – tend to be better. Such combinations are also more flexible to a particular patient’s issues. Light-to-moderate intensity exercise done two to three times a week for a month were found to be of greatest benefit for chronic pain patients particularly for those with spine pain conditions like chronic low back pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. (5) Layden Chiropractic works with each Plainville chiropractic patient to design a strategy just for him/her.
CONTACT Layden Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Kelly Brinkman on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she shares the effectiveness of the gentle protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management in treating chronic back pain.
Schedule your Plainville chiropractic appointment today. Whether you are a retired NFL player or NFL fan or neither of these, bring your chronic pain and worried mind to Layden Chiropractic. We’ll work together to decrease pain and fear of pain and increase your sense of independence and joy of life with chiropractic and exercise!
