I have several clients who live with daily chronic pain. They take very little, if any medication and I do my best to help them keep moving despite the pain.

Chronic pain is an odd thing. It can hurt to move, but if one doesn’t move, then it can exacerbate the issue. Joints will get stiffer, muscles will stop working and tendons will get shorter. It’s a no win situation for many people.

I have found when I work with people to keep their bodies moving, the pain will often times become less severe. For example, my one client has arthritis and fibromyalgia. It can be painful for her to just stand up.

I massage her, and gently stretch her legs. Then we stretch and warm up her muscles. None of this is hard-core, it’s all done slowly and gently. She sometimes winces in pain as we go through the motions and exercises, but the next day she feels better. And the day after that she feels better still.

Regular workouts that she does at the gym can leave her feeling so sore that she can hardly move for the remainder of the day, so she has stopped doing those, for now. What she does instead is a series of stretches, some short walks and a little dancing. She makes sure, now, to most away from her desk every 45 minutes or less if she can manage it. Otherwise her joints stiffen up and it’s painful to move.

Movement causes us to feel the pain, but a lack of movement causes our bodies to atrophy and that in turn causes many other problems. If you, or a loved one are living with chronic pain, please give me a call. In almost every instance I am able to provide some relief from the pain.

 

Valentina Boonstra