Exercise programs are important for everybody, but especially anyone with chronic pain. We know that inactivity causes more muscle and tendon dysfunction. People who don’t exercise tend to be very stiff and weak. Furthermore, we know that exercise is very helpful for all of our chronic pain patients for a number of different reasons. Firstly, it maintains normal muscle physiology, bone health and optimal functioning. Muscles should be exercised to maintain conditioning, flexibility and good tone. Furthermore, exercise and stretching are preventative measures that may help avoid further flare-ups or exacerbations of pain in the future. Without exercise we know that patients are more likely to have problems and flare-ups in their pain even doing very simple chores or activities around the house. In addition, good aerobic exercise can release endorphins which are very helpful for improving ones mood and decreasing depression.
We should note that exercise may be something as simple as stretching in bed once or twice a day. Some people fear the concept of exercise if they have not had much experience or practice in the past. One should realize that there are thousands of different types of exercise from very simple to very complicated. We certainly would recommend starting with an easy and simple exercise program and then slowly building up as tolerated. We frequently use physical therapy or other professional experts to assist in training programs for our patients.