7 Effective Exercises to Help Reduce Chronic Pain
When in pain, don’t run to the medicine
cabinet right away, especially if you’re someone who suffers from
chronic pain, as taking painkillers frequently may be harmful to your
health and may cause many side effects. On top of that, painkillers can
be expensive.
Instead, try exercising more often. In fact, exercise is considered a
common and effective treatment of chronic pain:
It can help decrease inflammation in
the body.
Exercise increases your mobility.
It can lower overall pain levels.
In order to get the most of your exercises, it is necessary to include a
combination of different types of exercises: strength, relaxation,
stretching, and cardio. Try sticking to some of these 7 exercises and
their different combinations for some time, and it is likely that the
pain will decrease or even go away.
Build Strength
Strength-building exercise help stabilize the joints and develop muscles
that protect your skeletal system from damage and injuries. Generally
speaking, everyone can benefit from core strengthening exercises, as
they improve your posture and sense of balance.
Back muscle development, hip exercises and gaining abdominal strength
are all necessary to have a strong core. Here are 2 strengthening
exercises you can try:
1. Dead Bug
Step
1. Lie down on your back, arms extended up, as if you were
reaching for the sky.
Step 2. Hike up your feet into the air, bending your knees in a 90
degree angle. Activate your core by drawing your belly button down in
the direction of your spine. You can catch you feet with your arms to
aid yourself.
Step 3. When you exhale, extend one leg down without letting it touch
the floor. Simultaneously, lower the opposite arm above your head. Hold
for 1 second and then return to the starting position.
Don’t forget to repeat on the other side. This will count as 1 rep. All
in all, do 10 repetitions.
2. Leg Lifts
Step 1. Kneel on all fours (your wrists directly under your shoulders
and knees right under your hips).
Step 2. Draw your shoulder blades close to your body and extend the
neck. At the same time, engage the core like you did in the previous
exercise as well.
Step 3. Now extend one leg out like the woman on the picture, but keep
your core engaged during the whole exercise.
Step 4. Now lower the leg for just a
second, and then lift again. No need to lift the leg too high, it’s
better to stay mindful and protect your core and spine by engaging it.
Repeat the exercise 10 times on both sides.
Stretch Your Muscles For Immediate Pain
Relief
Many people experience chronic pain because of tension building up in
their muscles, especially those who have a sedentary lifestyle.
Stretches are a wonderful method of relieving tension in the stiff areas
These stretches can help you relieve the pain in your lower back and
neck, 2 of the most common areas to experience this kind of pain.
3. Leg to Chest Pose
Step 1. Lie on your back on a mat or on the floor.
Step 2. Slowly bring your knees towards your chest, wrapping your hands
around them as if you’re giving your knees a hug.
Step 3. Rock side to side in this
positions. You should feel a stretch in your lower back and in your
hips.
Hold as long as you can.
4. Neck Stretch
Step 1. Sit up with a straight spine in a comfortable position.
Step 2. Raise one of your arms up straight, then bend it in the elbow
and put your hand on the opposite ear.
Step 3. Use your hand to gently and slowly pull down the head, which
should make you feel a pleasant stretch on one side of the neck. Make
sure not to lift the other shoulder, as it will counteract the stretch.
Hold for a few minutes and repeat on the other side.
Relax and Contemplate
Learning how to relax and breathe deeply and mindfully are essential for
people with chronic pain, as it can help relieve the anxiety that comes
with any pain. This is an easy exercise that doesn’t require any
equipment.
5. Visualization
Step 1. Lie down in a comfortable position and close your eyes (choose
your location, be it a bed, a couch or the floor).
Step 2. Put your hands on the belly and mindfully relax your feet, hips,
shoulders and neck.
Step 3. Start breathing deeply and slowly through your nose.
Step 4. If you feel a lot of tension, exhale through your mouth, as if
sighing, a few times. Feeling how your belly rises and falls with each
breath.
Step 5. Continue breathing mindfully and visualize the pain leaving the
part of your body that hurts more and more, with every breath.
Continue as long as you need it and repeat as much as you like.
Get the Blood Going With Cardio Exercises
Cardio exercises are beneficial for chronic pain sufferers, as it has
many mental and physical health benefits, among which is bone and joint
strengthening, as well as mood stabilizing.
6. Walking
The goal is to walk at least for 30 minutes, 3-5 times per week, as it
was proven to help increase endurance and heart health without straining
your body too much. If this goal seems unattainable, start from as much
as you can and slowly increase the time, and don’t forget to take your
walker or cane on the walk if you’re using one.
7. Swimming or Water Aerobics
If walking proves difficult, water aerobics is a great alternative. The
benefits of in-water exercise are that it will help you exercise your
body without overwhelming your joints and muscles, as it is easier to
move around in water. Swimming also has its mental benefits: it can calm
you down and help clear your mind as nothing else.