I’ve seen that pain relief exercise has been a hot topic on the Dr. Fibro Facebook page which is why I think it’s necessary to write a blog post about it this week. To find natural pain relief, you’ve heard me say that you need to eat the right things, get to sleep at the right amount of time, and find an exercise plan that works for you. We’ve gone over a few herbal remedies that will help you eat your way out of pain naturally but let’s talk about how you can move and stretch your way out of pain.
When suffering from chronic pain, the thought of even walking around for 20 minutes at a time can be a scary thought. Even more, you may have heard that exercise is crucial and have tried working out but afterwards you’re experiencing EVEN MORE pain.
Don’t give up and just keep trying!
When you have fibro, arthritis, or chronic pain that means that your daily activities are slowed down or maybe you’ve stopped doing them completely. When you don’t exercise regularly, these muscles that you are no longer using are more prone for dysfunction and further damage. If they aren’t working as hard as they should be (or overworking) then they can cause even more pain in other parts of your body! If you’ve seen my webinar, then you’re familiar with this idea and you understand why, for example, weak glute muscles are most likely the cause of your lower back pain.
That’s why I want to make sure that you’re working your muscles. You can move and stretch your way out of pain and moving is a natural remedy for your fibro! 
You can’t fully relieve your pain naturally if you don’t move and stretch. You’re not one body part…you’re a WHOLE person and a WHOLE system of muscles, organs, and bones. Each part needs to be functioning properly to find real relief.
As Arthritistoday.org explains, “Many of my fibromyalgia patients tell me their pain worsens when they exercise – particularly if they are just starting an exercise program. The truth is that you will have to stick with an exercise program for about six weeks, exercising two or three times per week, to start feeling or seeing any benefit.”
Start small and just add 2 minutes to your routine every other day. You don’t have to go out and walk for an hour or two, all I ask is just that you work up a sweat. That might be walking for 10 minutes or it might be walking down one set of stairs. All patients are different so don’t think that you should be following the workout regime that someone else is following.
If you can’t stand the thought of getting up today and walking, then start by soothing your muscles first by taking an Epsom salt bath. Epsom salt baths have been used for centuries to help people find muscle relief and to reduce the inflammation in their bodies. According to the Discovery Channel’s Planet Green, National Academy of Sciences says, “most people don’t have enough magnesium in their bodies, a deficiency that can lead to arthritis and joint pain, stress-related health problems and chronic fatigue.” The magnesium in Epsom salt can be absorbed through the skin and so these baths, when taken 3-4 times a week and for at least 12 minutes, can instantly relieve muscles and reduce inflammation.
Plus, as I’ve mentioned before, you just need to sweat! Sweating releases endorphins which does wonders for your body. MedicineNet explains, “Stress and pain are the two most common factors leading to the release of endorphins. Endorphins interact with the opiate receptors in the brain to reduce our perception of pain and act similarly to drugs such as morphine and codeine. In contrast to the opiate drugs, however, activation of the opiate receptors by the body’s endorphins does not lead to addiction or dependence.”
When it comes to exercising, do what feels best for you and don’t give up!
It won’t be easy at first but it WILL pay off, I promise!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Dr. Yen:
Thank you so much for helping me with Fibromyalgia!!! I appreciate all the information you have been sending me. It has been very useful to me. I have started a very healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and have gone back to the gym and although I am not feeling that great just yet it has helped other areas of my health issues. I have ITP and my platelets have started to go up and that makes me very happy. They used to fluctuate between 20,000 to no more than 60,000 but more so in the 30,000 to 40,000 for a couple of years now, but today my specialist told me they were 68,000, which made him and myself very happy. I have lost 14 lbs. in 3 weeks and my mood is starting to get back to where I was 3 years ago before I had my car accident which is when I developed Fibromyalgia. I am going to continue with this program and will keep you informed as to how I am progressing. Once again Thank you very mych.
Sue Savage
Sue, I’m so happy to hear that your health is going in the right direction! Please do keep me informed and thank you SO much for the wonderful words! Comments like yours are exactly what keeps us going!
Would you mind if I shared your thoughts with other patients?
Dr. Yen,
Any chance that in the future your articles could be in spanish, I live in Puerto Rico and thiers lots of people with fibromyalgia and really not many Dr. who now anything about the disease. Most of articles and recourses are all in english. I try to translate but at times it frustrating. You sound like a person who cares and that’s rare now days for a Dr. since most are in it for the money and don’t really care about their patients.
Dear Dr. Yen,
I’ve been in pain now for 15 yrs years. I’ve done and tried everything. I like your site. It is easy to follow, but it has all that I’ve done so far. My hips, knees and head hurt while I was in high school, and continue to get worse throughout my life. My lower back started next and then my hands. I was in a car accident and strained my thumb, then during PT, all my body just seem to gave up and got all tired and ached. Since then I have had a Hysterectomy, Carpal tunnel surgery , and Tendinitis surgery. I feel so awful most of the time. I take a lot of medications for headaches, asthma, osteoarthritis, pain management, etc. I can’t go to the rest room often ( maybe once every 6 days). My favorite piece of furniture is my bed with a heated blanket. I sleep 2-3 hours, then get up to do chores in order to exercise/or to exercise, then I go back to bed, get up repeat. I eat pretty healthy and grow 80% of my food. there is so much to my tale but just wan to see what you think…thank for ready…Kimmie
The biggest thing we need to do for you is get you regular!!! Unless you only eat once every 6 days, having a bowel movement every 6th day is definitely NOT enough. Your body is toxic and you’re accumulating more toxins as we speak. First off, make sure you’re drinking enough water (1 L of water for every 50 lb of your body weight) then increase the amount of fiber in your daily diet with vegetable and fruit juice in the morning. You may need to supplement yourself with Magnesium and additionally, you may also want to look into a coffee enema and possibly a colonic as well. Most likely, more will need to be done but this will be a good place to start.