Healthy You Challenge

If you are suffering from chronic pain anywhere in your body, you will find that making even the simplest movements can be such a torture. But here comes some scientific discoveries that indicate the role of exercise in effectively treating or managing most types of chronic pain. These findings may sound totally foolish and untrue. How can a person with chronic pain, who can't even get out of bed unassisted, be expected to do some exercises?

Before you convince yourself that chronic pain in your body and exercise just don't mix, consider what many pain rehabilitation experts have to say about the benefits of exercise. For many doctors, exercise should be an integral part of any systematic procedure for controlling chronic pain. The reasons are stated below.

Increased Oxygen Levels

Exercise allows you to breathe in more oxygen into your lungs. In effect, more oxygen gets into your muscles, this is essential for fighting off toxins in your cells that hamper your overall healing process. If the chronic pain is caused by damages in your muscles, exercise should be good for you.

Increased Muscular Stamina

Exercise will greatly improve the strength and endurance of your muscles against diseases, fatigue and other types of impairment. Improved muscle quality will definitely reduce the chances of you experiencing chronic muscle pains.

Increased Endorphin Levels

Whenever you are in pain, your brain produces a natural painkiller that is intended to help you in your most trying times. If you want more of this natural painkilling agent, all you have to do is exercise. Exercise provokes your brain to release more endorphins in your system.

Increased Level Of Weight Control

Everybody knows that exercise is the way to go if you want to eliminate unwanted pounds. Being overweight puts a lot of pressure not only on your muscles but on your joints as well. By burning off calories, exercise can help you maintain or attain the ideal weight that your body can carry without causing pain.

Now, you know how exercise can directly and positively affect your chronic pain treatment. But before you go on shopping for new garters and tights, you must first know which exercise routines can best help you attain your goals without aggravating your condition. Actually, the type of exercise that you choose will be largely dependent on the part of your body that experiences bouts of chronic pain. An exercise routine criterion that is solely based on what is pleasurable or not can be detrimental; there are exercises which you may enjoy that your body cannot perform due to the prolonged pain you are experiencing.

If you are having recurring pain in any part of your body, the best exercises may be the ones with very low intensity or resistance. People who continually suffer from pain in the muscles or skeletal structures are never intended to lift 400-pound barbells. In fact, only a minimal amount of weight can be allowed. Exercises for chronic pain management should also last for only a few minutes each day.

The whole idea is to provide chronic pain sufferers with the right kind of activity; it has never been a question about the intensity of a particular exercise. Always consult with your doctor or physical therapist before doing any exercise. Most importantly, be realistic about your goals and always remember that the reason you are doing any exercise is to reduce or help you control your pain and not to become the world champion in anything.

Courtesy of: Sharon Bell