Most healthcare providers will readily agree that regular exercise is good for you, and when combined with a healthy diet will help people gain or lose weight, and generally improve their quality of life.  Unfortunately, many people with a chronic pain condition mistakenly believe that they can no longer get the full benefits of exercise.

Dr. Pete Egoscue (1998) in his book Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain is very adamant that flexibility and mobility are the keys to successful chronic pain management.  You must exercise; but it may be different than how you did it before.  Dr. Egoscue is responsible for establishing over twenty-five clinics world-wide, with corporate headquarters in San Diego, California.  The Egoscue Method® is one of the world leaders in non-medical pain relief.

Exercise can and should be part of all chronic pain management plans.  The type and frequency of exercise requires someone with experience and clinical skills in order to develop an effective—and safe—program. Action, rest and immobilization periods (or up-time and down-time), should also be an integral foundation of the plan.
 
Other considerations include the style of exercise, the progression of intensity, the frequency or quantity, and the prevention of additional injury.  Hydrotherapy and water exercises can be very beneficial for people with chronic pain issues.

Most treatment providers working with chronic pain management believe that mobilization through exercise is an essential component of a successful treatment plan.  Exercise helps increase range of motion, which is essential for increasing mobility and healing.

Remember though, the development of an exercise program should be done under the direction of a well-trained specialist.  For some this will be their doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, and/or a personal trainer. Whichever specialist is chosen should become a part of your Addiction-Free Pain Management® treatment team.  Effective communication should be ongoing due to any exercise challenges that may occur for you.
 
To learn more about chronic pain management please check out our website at www.addiction-free.com and go to our Publications page and check out my book Managing Pain and Coexisting Disorders: Using the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System. You can also check out our Articles page to download my free article The Need for Multidisciplinary Chronic Pain Treatment.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 at 1:38 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.