Exercising With Pain or Debilitating Diseases

You can exercise with pain or debilitating diseases.  Exercise is good for almost everyone!

Every day at the pharmacy I have a patient who is dealing with a pain syndrome, such as fibromyalgia or pain from an injury, or dealing with a debilitating disease, such as arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoporosis.  Any of these conditions can limit mobility and complicate everyday tasks.  We use medications to treat each of these conditions but there is another treatment that is often overlooked.  Exercise.  This is the simplest treatment, is very effective and is very inexpensive.  The right type of exercise can help you decrease pain levels, have more energy, improve sleep and have better day-to-day functioning.

The stronger the muscles and tissues are around your joints, the better they will be able to support and protect the joints.  Without exercise, our muscles become smaller and weaker and our bones can become more brittle.  Exercise helps to keep our joints flexible and able to move easier. 

Benefits of exercise in patients with arthritis or pain syndromes (these are benefits to any and everyone!)

• Reduced symptoms (less pain)
• Improved joint motion, function and flexibility
• Improvement in coordination and balance
• Helps maintain bone mass
• Reduced body weight (less strain on joints)
• Reduced stress
• Improved sleep

There are 3 types of exercise that should be included in everyone’s exercise regimen each week.

   1. Flexibility exercises – range of motion exercises and stretching 

exercises help to maintain or improve flexibility in joints and muscles.

   2. Strengthening exercises – designed to work muscles harder to maintain or increase muscle strength.  As muscles become stronger, they provide greater joint support and reduced stress through the joints.  Strong muscles contribute to better function and reduce bone loss related to inactivity.

   3. Aerobic exercise – improves heart, lung and muscle function and endurance.  Types of aerobic exercises are walking, jogging, water exercises, bicycling, etc. 

The hardest part of beginning any exercise program is figuring out where to start.  Find someone to help you get started and to keep you motivated.  Having someone who understands what you are going through makes the entire process easier.  Exercise can become part of your daily life, something that you do every day, without a doubt and without even thinking about it.  Make a plan for your day and schedule time for exercise.

I don't have any type of arthritis or pain syndromes, but as a pharmacist, I work 12 hour shifts and I stand all day.  This causes pain in my feet, ankles, knees, back and hips.  I would wake up each morning and have a hard time getting out of bed because my knees and ankles would be stiff and actually hurt to put weight on.  It felt like I could wake up and crack every bone in my body and all of my muscles and joints would ache each morning.  Throughout the day, anytime I squatted my knees would crack and ache.  Anytime I sat for long periods of time, my entire body would be stiff and hurt when I moved.  My chiropractor would tell me that I needed to stretch more and loosen my hip flexors because my tight hip flexors were causing my hips and back to stay out of alignment.  This is when I discovered the HUGE benefits of flexibility exercising.  Yoga, Pilates and PiYo became my go-to exercises to repair and strengthen my body. 

As soon as PiYo became available last summer, I knew that this would be the program to change my life.  This program incorporates stretching and strength training to build muscle and keep muscles flexible.  Since using PiYo, Pilates and Yoga, I no longer wake up each morning in pain and I no longer spend my days in pain because my muscles and joints are stronger and more flexible.  

Order PiYo Workout Now

Having a coach can help you start your journey and can help you stick with your goals.  As a coach, I am able to share my personal experiences to help others succeed.

Sign up to have me as your FREE COACH

*Always check with your doctor, physical therapist, or occupational therapist before beginning or changing your exercise routine.  Finding the right balance with your exercise routine is the key – figure out what works for you and what makes you feel good.  Start slow and gradually progress.