Chronic pain can originate from many sources. Today we are going to look at some of the factors the can lead to chronic pain, and what you can do to help with chronic pain management. More than anything, we will try to provide an overview to orient you on the various factors. These includes—
- Nutrition and Inflammation
- Stress
- Posture and Ergonomics
- Mindset
- Tissue Restrictions
- Nutrition and Inflammation
You’re body needs to be getting plenty of nutrients and to flush out it’s waste products. That’s bottom line. You are looking to eat foods that are high nutrient density, which means high levels of nutrients relative to their calories. Often organs of elimination such as the liver kidneys and intestines need support to be able to fully do their job. Every can tell when they are hungry, but can you tell what your body is hungry for? Learning to differentiate between a craving and a true hunger is a key ability in learning to hear your body. For many people, this requires first expanding your palette of food options. Often, when we crave some unhealthy, there is a healthy version of it. For instance, craving junk food, when your body really wants high quality fats.
Stress
Stress is not inherently a bad thing. Stress can provide a signal that will allow a body to develop stronger and more resilient than ever. The trick is in getting enough rest to be able to recover. This is generally the issue in modern life. Learning stress management techniques and scheduling down time are key for a happy, fulfilling and pain-free life.
Posture, Exercise and Ergonomics
Exercises don’t take up that many hours a week. How we sit, stand, move and lay down is constantly taking place, and these positions can either act to balance our muscular tone, or to further reinforce bad habit. There are key cues to connect your brain with your postural muscles that bring them online and get them doing their jobs. In addition, a targeted exercise program to strengthen where your body is weak and stretch where it is tight is will make sure to restore the resting length of muscles and get them as strong as they need to be to support your body to move from a place of ease. Unnecessary tension saps our energy, and when it become too pronounced, can lead to chronic pain. Ergonomics is looking at how you use your body during specific activities, and learning how to adjust your biomechanics for less strain and greater efficiency.
Mindset
Pain can be a signal that is trying to tell us something. We have to learn to listen to the body to interpret the many needs it has. Movement, meaning and connection are needs that are just as real as food, water and air. The better we learn to care for ourselves, and expand our awareness as to what our system is needing, the better we will feel.
Tissue Restrictions
This is the main focus of traditional osteopathy. Find where things are stuck in the body and getting them to move freely again. When am area of the body isn’t moving properly it’s function is compromised. By restoring full movement to a given area, it can radically change the way the part of the body feels for the better.
This is just a starting point of some of the factors to consider when dealing with chronic pain. Finding a good practitioner to help guide you on where is most important to focus your energy can help the speed, ease and efficiency of the process.
In Health,
Eli Mead