Do you have chronic pain? You’re not alone! Chronic pain can work on
the mind and the body. Over 80% of retired NFL football players reported having
pain daily. A recent questionnaire study of them noted that
the greater the pain acceptance, the lower the pain intensity they experienced.
(1) Accepting pain is hard though! Fortunately,
so many studies show that a little
optimism and physical activity improves pain and optimism. For these and more
reasons, Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic incorporates exercise into our chronic back pain
patients’ Montreal chiropractic treatment plans!
EXERCISE: GOOD FOR BODY AND MIND
Exercise benefits extend 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 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
fell significantly more. In both groups, lowered
pain scores connected to higher self-efficacy scores
(feelings of independence). Chronic low back pain exercisers’ increased
disability showed a beneficial impact
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 whether they felt any decrease
of pain intensity. They summarized 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 common problem for patients with pain. They do not
want to do anything to provoke their pain
and exacerbate pain which leads to
less movement and less optimism for ever being without pain. Research indicated that patients with longer episodes
of pain who stated greater self-efficacy and
patients with higher pain disability and depression had lower self-efficacy. (4)
Understanding this, we encourage our
Montreal pain patients to be physical and not avoid
living life! Improvement 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 aggravate it! What’s the solution? Physical exercise, of course.
Researchers noted in a new study that exercise
programs that combine a variety of forms
of exercise – flexibility, balance, aerobic, strengthening – tend to be better. 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 a month were demonstrated 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) Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic
works with each Montreal
chiropractic patient to formulate a strategy just
for him/her.
CONTACT Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Kelly Brinkman on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she
shares the effectiveness of the gentle
protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management in treating
chronic back pain.
Make your Montreal chiropractic
appointment today. Whether you’re a retired NFL
player or NFL fan or neither of these, bring your chronic pain and worried mind
to Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic. 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!