Do you experience chronic pain? You aren’t alone! Chronic pain can influence
the mind and the body. Over 80% of retired NFL football players reported having
pain daily. A recent questionnaire study of them revealed that
the greater the pain acceptance, the lower the pain intensity they experienced.
(1) Accepting pain is hard though! Luckily,
so many studies show that some
optimism and physical activity improves pain and optimism. For these and more
reasons, Chiropractic Solutions incorporates exercise into our chronic back pain
patients’ San Jose chiropractic treatment plans!
EXERCISE: GOOD FOR BODY AND MIND
Exercise benefits go beyond the physical body
improvements. Exercise also improves the mind and outlook of a
person in pain, particularly one dealing with
chronic low back pain. At the conclusion 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
decreased 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 effect
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 reported
that improved self-efficacy was linked to lowered
disability whether they felt any decrease
in pain intensity. They summarized that helping chronic
pain patients improve their sense of self-efficacy could be an effective addition to the treatment of chronic pain patients
beyond just pain relief. (3)
OPTIMISM FOR A BETTER, LESS PAINFUL DAY
And an optimistic point of view toward
pain can help! Fear-avoidance is a common problem for patients with pain. They do not
want to do anything to worsen their condition
and cause pain which leads them to move less and have less optimism for ever being without pain. Research denoted 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
San Jose pain patients to be physical and not avoid
living life! ’Better’ is just around the corner!
EXERCISE: Time to Move!
And we all know it: physical inactivity and sedentary
lifestyle are not good for us. Researchers go so
far as to write that they are associated with chronic
musculoskeletal pain and can even exacerbate it! What’s the answer? Physical exercise, of course.
Researchers noted in a recent study that exercise
programs combining several forms
of exercise – flexibility, balance, aerobic, strengthening – tend to be more
effective. Such arrangements are also more adaptable
to a particular patient’s issues. Light-to-moderate
intensity exercise performed two to three times a week for just 4
weeks were found to be of greatest benefit
for chronic pain patients especially for those with spine pain conditions like chronic
low back pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. (5) Chiropractic Solutions
designs a strategy specially for
each San Jose chiropractic patient.
CONTACT Chiropractic Solutions
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Kelly Brinkman on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she
details the effectiveness of the gentle
protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management in treating
chronic back pain.
Schedule your San Jose chiropractic
appointment now. Whether you are a retired NFL
player or NFL fan or neither of these, bring your chronic pain and worried mind
to Chiropractic Solutions. We’ll work together to reduce
pain and fear of pain and improve your sense of
independence and joy of life with chiropractic and exercise!