Did you know that chronic pain is one of the leading causes of decreased quality of life and increased drug dependency and overall loss of productivity, among more than 50 million U.S. adults? Not only is the chronic pain mentally and physically debilitating, but it is also a cause of stress and depression among adults.

To treat the pain, along with medication, some turn to contemporary healing methods like meditation, and yoga while others seek out alternative therapeutic methods like massage, chiropractic care, and nutritional supplements.

Let’s get one thing clear; if you are in pain you need medical or therapeutic intervention, period. No amount of exercise or nutritional supplements can reduce your pain and inflammation unless you fix the underlying cause of the pain.

Oftentimes the inflammation is a result of an injury, while other times a misaligned nerve or vertebra is causing pain and inflammation. For the first case, you’ll need medical intervention, and for the latter, you’ll need chiropractic help.

Why do you experience pain and inflammation?

 

Pain is one of the basics needs of life. If not for pain, you wouldn’t be able to recognize a wound or a problem in your body, thereby making pain not only natural but also lifesaving and necessary. The body’s response to any wound is activating the immune system which is triggered as soon as the body senses pain. Depending on the quality of your immune system, the body sends over fighter cells to kill pathogens and start healing.

Now the pain is usually accompanied by inflammation – it’s a part and parcel deal and rightly so because inflammation is a sign that the body is actively working on the wound and infection. The inflammation is the sign that healing is underway. While inflammation and pain are positive bodily response, excess of pain and inflammation is a sign of something serious. If pain is consistent it is a sign that medical intervention is required.

Similarly, oftentimes pain is a result of poor lifestyle choices rather than a physical ailment or wound. Medical professionals often recommend lifestyle change in the form of change in nutrition and diet and mild workout to help ease the pain as well as to live a pain-free, healthy life in the long run.

Here are four reasons how nutrition and fitness can help your pain and ease.

1. Exercise helps with the pain

 

When I recommend exercise as a way to reduce pain, I am faced with hesitation and disbelief. Patients are reluctant at best and unenthusiastic at worst to work out because they see working out as an activity for the healthy. They are also worried that working out will aggravate their pain, but they are wrong. They don’t know what they are missing out and how useful exercise is for pain reduction and general health.

No one can deny that a sedentary lifestyle is the leading cause of issues like obesity, coronary heart disease, cholesterol, diabetics to name just a few major health issues of the current era. While daily exercise should be a priority to live a healthy and active life, you can motivate yourself to exercise because it is a natural pain relief medicine. Exercising engages the part of the brain which increases the production of endocannabinoids – the body’s natural painkiller and increases well-being.

I’d like to mention that exercise doesn’t have to be an all-out cardio workout, nor does it have to be extensive. A brisk walk every day counts as exercise and helps release endorphins in the body. Endorphins stimulate a feeling similar to that of morphine in the body and naturally helps ease the pain. Pain demands attention, emotional as well mental, and exercising takes the attention away from the pain therefore, leading to a perception of decreased pain.

It won’t be wrong to say that exercise can be used to treat chronic pain and as your health improves and your body mobility increases, you will notice a decrease in pain and inflammation. With time body gets accustomed to working out and it gets easier to exercise on a regular basis. Besides reducing pain, exercise also helps increase your energy level accompanied by a feeling of general positivity.

Exercise in all forms leads to positive results, however, if you have any conditions related to back, hip, knee or shoulder, you should consult your physician before engaging in any extraneous exercises. Try out various exercises to see which one you like the most. From Yoga to a daily 15-minute brisk walk you have unlimited options.

2. Exercise helps with lymphatic drainage 

 

The lymphatic system is easily one of the most obscure systems of the human body and not many understand what it does and how it functions. The lymphatic system works in conjunction with other systems to help the body fight pathogens, heal injuries and fight infections. It is a complex system of lymph nodes, which fight off infections and remove toxins and lymph vessels which carry the colorless fluid around the body. The main function of the system is to help the body fight pathogens and detoxify the toxins out of the body.

So, where does exercise come in here? The lymphatic system is of extreme importance for the body’s immunity because the faster the lymph fluid travels to the site of injury or infection the faster the healing will be. In case of an injury, the area surrounding the injured tissue becomes inflamed and it is the lymphatic system’s job to bring nutrients for recovery to the site of injury.

Now, if the person is healthy and active, their lymph fluid is being regularly drained and fresh fluid is readily available for quick action.

This brings us back to my main point. If you are active and engage in exercise or physical activity on a regular basis your lymphatic system will be working like a well-oiled machine and your body will be able to quickly respond to an injury, infection, and disease.

3. Nutrition helps with pain and inflammation  

 

You are what you eat, ever heard of this? This is true on so many levels, not literally though. What you consume has a direct and indirect impact on your health and your well-being and this is where good nutrition comes in. There are some food groups that are far more beneficial than the others and knowing how what you eat affects your health is important for healthy living.

Excess of anything is bad, however, diets with excessive sugar and carb proportion are exceptionally bad for you because they promote inflammation and pain. You can make healthy food choices by cutting certain food items from your diet, mainly sugar and processed food items.

Individuals with chronic pain show increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines which results in inflammation and pain. If the inflammation persists, the pain turns into chronic pain. For people who have chronic pain, eating healthy is not just a better lifestyle choice, but also help them decrease pain and inflammation.

Recent studies show that certain nutrients and diets are better at alleviating chronic pain due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Whereas food items like dairy, red meat and sugar have been known to cause inflammation because processing red meat is a bit hard on your kidney, thereby slowing down your healing process.

Thus, if you have chronic pain then there is a high chance that removing sugar and processed food items will greatly benefit you. Reduce your dairy and red meat consumption along with increased whole wheat and vegetables. These dietary restrictions are not just for people with pain, but if you want to live a healthy and active life, cutting down on empty carbs and sugar is the way to go.

Patients who take up plant-based diet reported decreased pain and inflammation in the long run, however, to live a healthy life, you don’t need to cut carbs, sugar, and meat entirely but rather eat things in moderation. My patients generally report feeling more energized as they limit empty carbs and sugar from their diet for a more healthy and nutritious diet.

4. Exercise help prevent muscle degeneration 

 

It’s not uncommon for my clients to come presenting back and joint pain issues. It is one of the most common issue among aging people after all. However, age is not the only factor adding to these increased back and joint issues, it’s the lack of physical activity among the masses. As a chiropractor, I employ a holistic attitude towards health and as I am treating their back issues, I suggest regular exercise and walk to my clients. Their first response is naturally fear that walking or exercising might cause more problems, but the reality is far from it.

While the human body is often compared with a machine, it is far more complex and amazing than a simple man-made machine. In simple words, a car will deteriorate as it is used, but your body won’t. In fact, to keep your body from deteriorating you need to keep it in motion. In case of knee pain, exercising allows your body to actually heal and stabilize the hurting joint and cartilage as well as increase lubrication of the cartilage to allow pain-free movement.

The way cartilage works are that it doesn’t have a direct blood supply, but it gets its nutrition from the dynamic motion of the body. With movement, the fluid moves in and out of the cartilage and the joint is nourished.

Another reason many people fear exercise and physical activity is the myth that they will further hurt the joint by working out, and naturally, if you are not used to physical activity, even a little strenuous activity will cause stiffness and pain, but it’s natural and completely normal. As your body gets accustomed to exercise, your muscles will strengthen stabilizing surrounding joints and aid in healing. On the other hand, not exercising weakens the muscles surrounding the joint, creating more stress and stiffness.

Besides pain management, regular exercise and good nutrition have been proven to:

• Reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression
• Improve sleep and health
• Enhances your quality of life
• Boost self-esteem and mental health
• Increases energy levels
• Helps with maintaining blood pressure
• Strengthen the heart and body
• Keeps your body fit and active

Concluding Thoughts

 

It won’t be wrong to say that exercise and proper nutrition should be a part of your life no matter what. If you are leading an active lifestyle and eating a balanced and nutritious diet then you are already on the path towards a healthy life. But if you haven’t prioritized your health for a while then this should be a reminder for you to start doing so today.

Start adding more whole foods in your diet and removing sugar and processed food. Again, you don’t have to cut down on anything, simply moderate what you are consuming and enjoy a healthy life.

Remember that every activity, no matter how big or small counts, be it taking stairs instead of the elevator or taking your pet out for a walk. Find reasons for staying active and notice the difference in your energy levels.

It’s also understandable that people who have joint or back pain will find it difficult to include physical activities in their daily routine beyond the ones they are already doing, but trust me that gentle physical activity will increase your tolerance towards pain as well as lessen it over time.