Do you experience chronic pain? You’re not alone! Chronic pain can impact
the mind and the body. Over 80% of retired NFL football players experience
pain daily. A recent questionnaire study of them found that
the greater the pain acceptance, the lower the pain intensity they experienced.
(1) Accepting pain is hard though! Fortunately,
study after study shows that a tad bit of
optimism and physical activity improves pain and optimism. For these and more
reasons, Satterwhite Chiropractic incorporates exercise into our chronic back pain
patients’ Oxford 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, especially one who has
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 found that pain disability scores in the exercisers
decreased significantly more. In both groups, reduced
pain scores connected to higher self-efficacy scores
(feelings of independence). Chronic low back pain exercisers’ improved
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 documented
that improved self-efficacy was linked to lowered
disability regardless of any decrease
in 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
not-too-unusual a problem for patients with pain. They do not
want to do anything to worsen their pain
and cause pain which leads to
less movement and less optimism for ever being without pain. Research denoted that patients with longer episodes
of pain who expressed greater self-efficacy and
patients with higher pain disability and depression had lower self-efficacy. (4)
Understanding this, we support our
Oxford pain patients to be physical and keep
living life! ’Better’ is coming!
EXERCISE: Time to Move!
And we all know it: physical inactivity and sedentary
lifestyle are not beneficial for us. Researchers go so
far as to write that they are linked to chronic
musculoskeletal pain and can even aggravate it! What’s the solution? Physical exercise, of course.
Researchers pointed out in a new study that exercise
programs that combine several types
of exercise – flexibility, balance, aerobic, strengthening – tend to be more
effective. Such arrangements are also more adaptable
to an individual patient’s issues. Light-to-moderate
intensity exercise done two to three times a week for a month 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) Satterwhite Chiropractic
works with each Oxford
chiropractic patient to formulate a strategy just
for him/her.
CONTACT Satterwhite Chiropractic
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.
Make your Oxford chiropractic
appointment now. Whether you’re a retired NFL
player or NFL fan or neither of these, bring your chronic pain and worried mind
to Satterwhite Chiropractic. We’ll work together to reduce
pain and fear of pain and raise your sense of
independence and joy of life with chiropractic and exercise!