Exercise Combats Manahawkin Chronic Pain and Related Distress
Do you have chronic pain? You’re not alone! Chronic pain can impact 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! Luckily, study after study shows that a little optimism and physical activity improves pain and optimism. For these and more reasons, Manahawkin Chiropractic Center incorporates exercise into our chronic back pain patients’ Manahawkin chiropractic treatment plans!
EXERCISE: GOOD FOR BODY AND MIND
Exercise benefits extend beyond the physical body improvements. Exercise also improves the mind and outlook of a person in pain, particularly one who has chronic low back pain. At the end of a 3-month study of chronic low back pain patients who either exercised or didn’t, researchers documented that pain disability scores in the exercisers fell significantly more. In both groups, reduced pain scores correlated with higher self-efficacy scores (feelings of independence). Chronic low back pain exercisers’ improved disability showed a positive impact 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 decreased disability regardless of any reduction in pain intensity. They concluded that helping chronic pain patients improve their sense of self-efficacy could be an effective addition to the treatment of chronic pain patients beyond just pain relief. (3)
OPTIMISM FOR A BETTER, LESS PAINFUL DAY
And an optimistic point of view toward pain can be a plus! Fear-avoidance is a common 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 episodes of pain who stated greater self-efficacy and patients with higher pain disability and depression had lower self-efficacy. (4) Understanding this, we encourage our Manahawkin pain patients to be physical and keep living life! ’Better’ is coming!
EXERCISE: Time to Move!
And we all know it: physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle are bad for us. Researchers even write that they are associated with chronic musculoskeletal pain and can even aggravate it! What’s the solution? Physical exercise, of course. Researchers pointed out in a recent study that exercise programs that combine a variety of forms of exercise – flexibility, balance, aerobic, strengthening – tend to be better. Such arrangements are also more flexible to an individual patient’s issues. Light-to-moderate intensity exercise performed two to three times a week for a month were found to be of greatest benefit for chronic pain patients especially for those with spine pain conditions like chronic low back pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. (5) Manahawkin Chiropractic Center works with each Manahawkin chiropractic patient to formulate a plan just for him/her.
CONTACT Manahawkin Chiropractic Center
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.
Make your Manahawkin 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 Manahawkin Chiropractic Center. Let’s work together to decrease pain and fear of pain and raise your sense of independence and joy of life with chiropractic and exercise!
