Physical activity is vitally important in all types of chronic pain. It improves mood, sleep and general wellbeing by releasing the body’s own ‘feel-good’ hormones – endorphins. It helps to condition soft tissue and bone, which results in a strong body structure. It has a part to play in weight control too, so it really does have a lot to offer us. While some of you may have a regular programme that you can rely on to keep you fit without flaring up your pain, others may have had difficulty and become largely inactive.

Flare-ups

Do you have pain that you manage quite well until a bad episode comes along? The flare-up may have started for no reason that you can think of, or may have resulted from a movement such as twisting or reaching, or in some people with neuropathic pain even a slight breeze can be enough. What do you do to help you get through the bad patch? Many of you will consult your GP, who may send you to the physiotherapist. You may indeed have seen the physiotherapist last time you had a bad patch. You were very probably taught a range of exercises as part of the treatment plan and asked to practise these every day. You perhaps carried on until the pain flare-up settled and you were left with your old manageable pain. Exercise practice seemed less important then, and maybe you stopped doing it regularly or stopped altogether. Crisis over! Does this sound familiar?