Exercise Combats Baton Rouge Chronic Pain and Related Distress
Do you experience chronic pain? You aren’t 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 revealed 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, Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers incorporates exercise into our chronic back pain patients’ Baton Rouge chiropractic treatment plans!
EXERCISE: GOOD FOR BODY AND MIND
Exercise benefits extend beyond the physical body improvements. Exercise also enhances the mind and outlook of a person in pain, particularly one who has chronic low back pain. At the conclusion 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, lowered pain scores connected to higher self-efficacy scores (feelings of independence). Chronic low back pain exercisers’ improved disability showed a beneficial 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 found that improved self-efficacy was associated with lowered disability regardless of any decrease of pain intensity. They concluded that helping chronic pain patients improve 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 be a plus! Fear-avoidance is a not-too-unusual a problem for patients with pain. They do not want to do anything to worsen their condition and cause pain which leads them to move less and have less optimism for a life without pain. Research denoted that patients with longer periods with pain who expressed greater self-efficacy and patients with higher pain disability and depression had lower self-efficacy. (4) Knowing this, we encourage our Baton Rouge pain patients to be physical and not avoid living life! ’Better’ is just around the corner!
EXERCISE: Time to Move!
And we all know it: physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle are not beneficial for us. Researchers go so far as to write that they are associated with chronic musculoskeletal pain and can even aggravate it! What is the solution? Physical exercise, of course. Researchers noted in a recent study that exercise programs combining several types of exercise – flexibility, balance, aerobic, strengthening – tend to be more effective. Such combinations are also more adaptable to a particular patient’s issues. Light-to-moderate intensity exercise done two to three times a week for a month were demonstrated 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) Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers works with each Baton Rouge chiropractic patient to formulate a plan just for him/her.
CONTACT Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Kelly Brinkman on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she details the effectiveness of the gentle protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management in treating chronic back pain.
Make your Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment soon. Whether you are a retired NFL player or NFL fan or neither of these, bring your chronic pain and worried mind to Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers. Let’s work together to reduce pain and fear of pain and improve your sense of independence and joy of life with chiropractic and exercise!
