How should I deal with chronic pain?New research suggests that physical activity can help

The researchers found that participants who reported being physically active more regularly had better pain tolerance than sedentary participants. People who are more active are more tolerant.

Loading

Two questions that these findings raise are: Why does physical activity have this effect? ​​And could the pain-reducing effects of the ‘put your hand in the ice’ study apply to other conditions?

The reason is?

The lead author of the study, Anders Olnes of the University Hospital of North Norway, said there are many reasons why exercise can affect the experience of pain.

“When you participate in activity, you release substances that trigger pain-inhibiting pathways in your nervous system,” he says. “In fact, they are the same pain-inhibiting pathways used by opioids and cannabinoids, so in some ways the effects of physical activity are the ‘baby brothers’ of these substances. ”

Professor James McAuley, Senior Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia and the UNSW School of Health Sciences, said that activating the brain’s endogenous opioid pathways through exercise could protect people from the suffering areas of pain. He added that the pain might still be there, but it could be lessened. I won’t suffer so much.

Physical activity can also affect inflammatory markers in the body, making you more sensitive to pain.

Additionally, there are psychological effects that can affect how the brain processes pain. Physical activity helps regulate stress and anxiety, helps focus attention, and reduces the likelihood of devastating pain.

Staying active can also boost your self-confidence, says McAuley. “If you can boost someone’s confidence, it certainly improves their pain and disability.”

Loading

He said it was a “great paper” with a large data set, but added that there may be other explanations for the relationship between physical activity and pain tolerance. Those who choose to be more physically active may have a natural tolerance for pain or may have adapted to experiencing pain by overdoing it and making their muscles sore from exercise.

“It’s great to be teased,” says McCauley, explaining that it’s unclear whether prescribing exercise to people who aren’t already active will reduce pain or make them more tolerant. .

Can physical activity improve chronic pain?

Arnes admits that chronic pain is “a whole different thing” than the pain of putting your hand in ice water.

“We don’t fully understand what causes pain to persist in this way. However, several theories point to an individual’s ability to process pain signals as a possible cause. he says. “Physical activity also appears to be a useful tool in the prevention and treatment of chronic pain, so we are trying to see if the effect on pain sensitivity is related to that.”

Manuela Ferreira, a professor at the Musculoskeletal Health Authority of Sydney and the University of Sydney, says exercise is “the way forward” in preventing and treating chronic back pain.

“Our spine is made to move,” she says.

Maintain low levels of physical activity during the acute phase of pain (first 6 weeks) and have a physical therapist or exercise physiologist design an exercise program if pain becomes chronic (>12 weeks) can improve symptoms such as: many ways.

exercise Increases blood flow and nutrition It works on the soft tissues of your back to improve the healing process and reduce the stiffness that causes back pain. It also strengthens the muscles around your spine.

“It provides stability to your internal organs and core,” she explains.

But the first thing many people do when they experience back pain is to stop moving, says Ferreira. “It actually ends up causing other problems in the muscles and joints … It puts more strain on structures that can’t really support that load.” ”

And not moving, she adds, reduces confidence in your ability to move freely.

It’s not yet clear how much and what kind of physical activity works best, but Ferreira, lead author of a paper that predicts a sharp increase in the number of back pain cases by 2050, I believe it can be prevented and treated.

“Most of them [estimate] It’s caused by aging and population growth…we can’t change that,” she says. “But we haven’t invested in prevention strategies or letting people know it’s okay to move. That way we can reduce the number.”

Get the most out of our health, relationships, fitness and nutrition livewell newsletter. Receive it in your inbox every Monday.