3 Ways Kinesiologists Help Relieve Chronic Pain with Exercise
Chronic pain is a complex process that has lasted more than 6 months and this is after tissues involved in the original injury or surgery have healed. Those with chronic pain also often have other mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. This pain can be debilitating and prevents patients from doing or enjoying daily and recreational activities.
Number of Canadians Affected by Chronic Pain
Source: Chronic pain hits 10% of Canadians under 44, CBC Dec 15, 2010
It is now understood that this pain originates in the brain, a very plastic and malleable part of the body that can be changed with appropriate training. Management of chronic pain needs to be multifaceted which includes stress management, nutrition, sleep, medication reduction and exercise.
How Kinesiologists Relieve Chronic Pain
Kinesiologists develop appropriate exercise programs to help clients become more durable, stronger and move more freely.
1. Fear Reduction and Confidence Building
Often people think that any type of movement will increase their pain. We guide and motivate you to keep moving by gradually increasing the frequency, intensity and duration of activities that don’t make the pain worse which helps you gain more confidence.
2. Movement Re-education and Mobility
Acute pain often creates movement compensations. Our bodies adapt to complete the activities we need to during the day. We develop further restrictions due to pain, which perpetuates the cycle. These dysfunctions will inevitably lead to further weakness, pain and myofascial tightness. Our first steps are to increase range of motion using Fascial Stretch Therapy and re-teaching the body how to properly sequence movements.
3. Strength and Endurance
Strength is the capacity to lift, push or pull an object once (using one movement to break a branch). Endurance is the capacity to resist fatigue through multiple movements and through-out the day (bending the branch back and forth until it breaks). These two will naturually develop during step 2. However, the next stage of this process to develop greater levels of strength and endurance. Enhanced durability means that your will be able to last longer at work and at play. Exercises include those that require the ability and capacity to keep the spine stable while pushing, pulling and rotating with proper technique.
