Do you experience chronic pain? You’re not alone! Chronic pain can distress
the mind and the body. Over 80% of retired NFL football players reported having
pain daily. A recent questionnaire study of them found that
the greater the pain acceptance, the lower the pain intensity they had.
(1) Accepting pain is a challenge though! Fortunately,
so many studies show that a little
optimism and physical activity improves pain and optimism. For these and more
reasons, Pflugerville Wellness Center incorporates exercise into our chronic back pain
patients’ Pflugerville 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 dealing with
chronic low back pain. At the end of a 3-month study of
chronic low back pain patients who either exercised or did not,
researchers documented that pain disability scores in the exercisers
dropped significantly more. In both groups, lowered
pain scores correlated with higher self-efficacy scores
(feelings of independence). Chronic low back pain exercisers’ increased
disability reflected a positive influence
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 decreased
disability regardless of any decrease
in pain intensity. They concluded that helping chronic
pain patients tweak 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 outlook 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 aggravate their condition
and cause pain which leads to
less movement and less optimism for a life without
pain. Research indicated that patients with longer periods with pain who stated greater self-efficacy and
patients with higher pain disability and depression had lower self-efficacy. (4)
Knowing this, we support our
Pflugerville pain patients to be active and keep
living life! ’Better’ is just around the corner!
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 exacerbate it! What’s the solution? Physical exercise, of course.
Researchers explained in a new 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 an individual patient’s issues. Light-to-moderate
intensity exercise done two to three times a week for just 4
weeks were shown to be of greatest benefit
for chronic pain patients particularly for those with spine pain conditions like chronic
low back pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. (5) Pflugerville Wellness Center
works with each Pflugerville
chiropractic patient to make a plan just
for him/her.
CONTACT Pflugerville Wellness Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Kelly Brinkman on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she
details the effective gentle
protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management in treating
chronic back pain.
Schedule your Pflugerville 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 Pflugerville Wellness Center. We’ll work together to reduce
pain and fear of pain and increase your sense of
independence and joy of life with chiropractic and exercise!