One important way that you can help yourself if you are in chronic pain is to stay active.17-19 Your posture and how you move plays an important role in how you feel and how you experience pain.18 19
Even as little as a short walk every day can help.19
If there are movements you cannot do because of your pain you can still help by imagining these movements.24 We know from neuroscience research that imagining a movement influences the brain in a very similar way to actually doing the movement.24 25 This can help retrain your brain to understand that the movement is not dangerous – because imagining doing the movement will not hurt. You can basically trick your brain into giving you back pain-free movement.24 Play with these sorts of things. Make movement fun. Move in different emotional states, like when you are happy or grateful. Move outside – in the sun, in a park with beautiful plants and flowers. Move in the water.
The movement of your spine is also very important.26 Yoga or simple spinal exercises can be great for this and chiropractic care may be really important to help you move too.27-29 The main focus of chiropractic care is to improve the movement and function of your spine.30-32 This is so important because proper movement of your spine helps your brain know more accurately what is going on, not only just in your spine, but also elsewhere in your body.33 34 And research tells us that chiropractic care can help people who suffer from back pain,38 39
and headaches.40
This is most likely because chiropractic care helps your brain know more accurately what is going on in your spine and body33 41
and may help your brain to switch off feelings of pain, when they are no longer needed.
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