If you have chronic pain that isn't changing it might be time to rethink your rehab strategy! Despite what we have all been told, it's not ok or normal to have pain in your body. And no pain doesn't just happen as you get old. We find it so sad that so many people simply accept that they have a 'bung knee' or a 'bad shoulder.'
Here are some clues you might need to change your pain management treatments:
Have your rehab strategies been the same for over a month with no change?
If this is the case, it's not working OR there is something else you need to address like nutrition, hydration, gut health etc. A healthy body isn't just the result of good movement. Lifestyle factors such as sleep, hydration, nutrition, recovery and mental emotional factors can influence pain.
Helpful Tips:
Drink quality water and move
Reduce processed foods, industrial oils, and sugar that damage connective tissue,
Eat more foods that will quell inflammation, and nourish repair processes like collagen, grass fed animal products, fiberous and coloured vegetables, good quality saturated fats like coconut oil, grass fed butter, nuts and seeds.
Aim to increase sleep quality by going to bed at a set time, avoiding screens, sleeping in a cool dark room etc.
Find opportunities for subconscious movement where you are distracted from your pain to alleviate stress, to help you move with rhythm and without pain.
Are you spending more time doing the things that undo your good change work.
If you aim to do 2 dedicated sessions a week to overcome the pain, but spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week sitting in a posture that damages you, the numbers are not in your favour. If this is the case you might need to be more diligent with movement strategies throughout the day, or perform more homework at the end of the day to enhance movement to stuck areas to hydrate, replenish and repair. If you lack movement as a whole through your day, the sites of inflammation or pain simply won't get the hydration they need to heal.
Helpful Tips:
Set reminders on your phone to move every hour at your desk
Get an adjustable stand to sit desk to keep changing positions
Schedule in gym/ walking / play / dancing sessions - just move
Try this: Sign up for our free Move it or Lose It program for daily movement reminders and videos sent to your phone.
Are your receiving treatment for the same areas over and over on the site of pain?
If so it's time to stop chasing the pain and figure out what is causing it. The area in pain is not the cause, it's a symptom. If you don't have a trainer or skilled therapist, buy the book Anatomy Trains and follow the lines that link to the areas of your pain. Try releasing areas away from the painful spot, and notice what helps to create a positive change. Pain can be a puzzle, and it's never just the one spot that's broken. Instead it's a matter of some areas under working or being glued up and inefficient, and other areas being forced to overwork and strain. These are the areas that end up crying in pain.
There is so much you can do these days to change pain and improve symptoms if you are willing to accept that it is not normal.