You’ve probably heard about the many benefits of exercising or keeping active as we get older. For example:
- Maintaining your level of physical activity
- Avoiding chronic diseases
- Quality of life
- Staying strong on your feet.
However, if you have ongoing or chronic pain, you may find that exercise sometimes flares it up afterwards and diminishes the positives you should be achieving for your efforts. Fortunately we now know that safe exercising is possible – when we find the sweet spot or zone in between doing too much or too little, while doing the right type of exercise. Learning how to exercise with pain not through it, allows you to start getting the benefits of greater strength and those exercise-induced endorphins that make you feel good.
If you’re still at the trial and error stage in finding ways to exercise and perhaps feeling that it’s not worth it, exercising is just too hard or too painful to undertake, a health professional like a physiotherapist can help you to move forward, allowing you to develop a routine that is tailored to your needs. The Australian Physiotherapy Association has some valuable thoughts and guidance on exercising with persistent pain. Follow the link below if this topic is of interest to you or someone you know.
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/experts-on-how-to-exercise-with-chronic-pain/101534976