Chronic pain (also known as persistent pain) is pain that persists past normal healing time and therefore lacks an acute warning function1. Pain is regarded as chronic when it lasts or recurs for more than 3 to 6 months. Unlike acute pain, chronic pain is less about tissue damage and relates more to the sensitivity of a patient’s nervous system and other non- tissue related factors.
Patients with chronic pain often avoid activity as they believe it will exacerbate their pain, which can leave them less able to complete activities that they previously enjoyed. There is a significant amount of research to show that exercise is extremely important aspect in the treatment of chronic pain.
How Can Exercise Improve Chronic Pain?
Exercise is an effective tool in improving pain severity and physical functioning and therefore the quality of life in chronic pain patients2. Exercise allows chronic pain patients to return to activities of daily living without the worry of causing further injury or damage to themselves.
Exercise can be used as a daily strategy to assist in the management of pain conditions3, but it is important to remind patients to begin slowly with exercise. Pain education and the use of pain scales, such as the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to monitor pain levels during exercise are vital, and patients need constant reminding that while they shouldn’t push into strong or excessive levels of pain during exercise, a mild level of pain that subsides when exercise ceases is perfectly acceptable and normal.
What Types Of Exercise Are Most Beneficial To Patients With Chronic Pain?
There are multiple types of exercise that can help with chronic pain. Most studies state that a combination of aerobic and resistance training is most beneficial in the treatment of chronic pain.
Cardiovascular exercises such as walking, swimming or bike riding can be used as light aerobic exercises and can be adjusted according to individual ability and pain levels3. Alternatively, an elliptical trainer (if exercising in a gym environment) can be used instead of a treadmill for a lower impact aerobic exercise option.
Strength training helps to build muscular endurance and strength, allowing patients to feel more confident in their movements and to build up tolerance in their muscles to complete activities of daily living.
Working with an exercise physiologist can be very useful in the management of chronic pain, especially if you do not have a history of exercising regularly, are unsure about how to get started or what level to work at, or you don’t feel comfortable joining a gym and working independently. Your exercise physiologist can support you with high levels of reassurance and encouragement, as well as ensuring that you are doing the right exercises with correct technique.
Central Performance – Exercise Physiology In Surry Hills
Chris McCarthy – Head Of Exercise Physiology
As an Exercise Physiologist, I get great joy from watching my clients achieve their goals through exercise whilst building lasting relationships with them, and enjoy the challenge of providing stimulating yet effective treatment in order to do this. I love working with clients in order to get them back on track to exercising post injury, and have experience in doing this with clients from a Cardiorespiratory and Musculoskeletal background.
Outside of the clinic I’m a keen cricketer and rugby fan, and have recently taken up boxing for fitness. You’ll find me on the pitch, in the ring or on my off days at the beach mucking round in the surf. I’m looking forward to helping people achieve their goals and get strong!
References
- Treede, R.D., Rief, W., Barke, A., Aziz, Q., Bennett, M.I., Benoliel, R., Cohen, M., Evers, S., Finnerup, N.B., First, M.B. and Giamberardino, M.A., 2015. A classification of chronic pain for ICD-11. Pain, 156(6), p.1003.
- Geneen, L.J., Moore, R.A., Clarke, C., Martin, D., Colvin, L.A. and Smith, B.H., 2017. Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4).
- Booth, J., Moseley, G.L., Schiltenwolf, M., Cashin, A., Davies, M. and Hübscher, M., 2017. Exercise for chronic musculoskeletal pain: a biopsychosocial approach. Musculoskeletal care, 15(4), pp.413-421.
