Change Your Movement Mindset to Exploration
We often say that movement is medicine. But physical activity might not feel very therapeutic if in the past it has been associated with pain. In order to get back to a place of confidence and comfort with movement, we have to first change our mindset to one of exploration. This is an essential part of the Movement Remedies approach when working with chronic pain clients who want to get active again but don't know where to start.
6 Common Challenges We See with Chronic Pain
Though I had been experiencing low back pain on-and-off for decades, it wasn’t until I started researching pain in order to help my Pilates clients that I actually began to understand the basic mechanisms behind painful sensations. In particular, while I assumed that ongoing pain symptoms meant I was reinjuring or irritating my disc herniation over and over again, pain education taught me that acute pain becomes chronic for many people long after the tissues have actually healed. The oft-repeated “hurt doesn’t equal harm” saying was definitely a mind-opener for me. Research has shown that combining pain education with movement interventions, like physical therapy, can significantly improve pain and disability outcomes.