I've had pain for a long time... Can I still be active?
Sébastien Turner-Chiasson, physiotherapist
Many of you have wondered about this question one time or another. This blog is focused particularly on people who would like to do physical activities, but also have persistent or chronic pain (for many months). An article that came out recently summarizes very well my point of view on this subject. The link for the article will be at the end of this text.
The first step to help you answer this question is to make sure it is safe for you to start exercising. In certain situations (that are rather rare), exercise should be avoided completely for a certain period of time. To confirm that it is safe to start an activity, you can consult a healthcare professional like your doctor or a physiotherapist.
Once you have received this confirmation, it is time to chose which activity you would like to do. For this step, it is essential that you chose an activity that you love, and not one that you feel obligated to do. There a an unlimited number of ways that you can exercise. It can be walking, dancing, gardening, yoga, group classes, and so on. In the cited article, there are other suggestions if you are looking for ideas.
When you have decided which activity you want to do, you are ready to start! From the start, it is important to find the right dosage of exercise, meaning, you have to be careful not to do too much, but you can do some! Another principle to know during this phase, is that pain does not necessarily mean harm. Pain is like an alarm system that protects our bodies from danger, which is useful in acute injuries. However, when a person suffers from persistent pain for a long period of time, this system becomes ineffective. The "alarm" can be triggered too easily, and our bodies can perceive pain even in situations that are not dangerous and that would not cause our bodies any harm.
It is well known and documented that exercise has many health benefits. Mental health, bone health, cardiovascular health and life expectancy can all be improved with exercise. And more, many people who suffer from chronic or persistent pain will find that exercising regularly at the right dose can even help reduce pain. And even if it is not necessarily guaranteed, all the other health benefits are - hence the importance to move!
For more information on this subject, you can check out this article:
