Here are some simple ways that you can incorporate exercise in your daily routine to effectively manage the chronic pain involved in fibromyalgia:
* Walking
No equipment required. Easy to do. Very little chances of hurting yourself. This is how you can describe this method of managing your fibromyalgia chronic pain. However, often people tend to make the mistake of beginning with 60 minutes of walking on the first day. And when it increases their discomfort, they give up.
If you have fibromyalgia and want to include walking as part of your chronic pain management program, you should begin with walking for 5 minutes. Keep adding 1 or 2 minutes to your walking routine each day. So, by the end of the first week, you will be walking for about 15 minutes. Next week, add about 3-4 minutes each day. By the end of the second week, you will be walking for about 40 minutes each day. Maintain this as your target for each day from thereon. Walk for about 40 to 60 minutes each day at least 5 days a week.
Make sure that your walking is relaxed and you are not walking very quickly. Try and walk in a place where the ground is as level as possible. A park or any natural setting is the best place to do your walking. Walking regularly will help exercise each and every muscle of your body and keep the symptoms of fibromyalgia under control.
* Swimming
If you know how to swim or if you have always wanted to learn how to swim, this is the right time to do it. Swimming is a great chronic pain management exercise for patients suffering with fibromyalgia.
Anyone who has fibromyalgia should begin with swimming for about 1 to 2 minutes and then gradually build up to about 20 to 30 minutes of swimming each day. Swimming is gentle on the joints and helps in exercising the various muscles on both sides of the body. The strengthening of the muscles and the joints helps reduce the pain felt when pressure is applied on the tender points of the body.
Swimming in warm water is very relaxing for the chronic pain involved in fibromyalgia. Even if you don’t know how to swim, just immersing yourself in warm water for about 30 minutes will provide much relief in the chronic pain. Additionally, you can learn some simple aquatic exercises which will further relieve the chronic pain. Since water offers natural resistance, aquatic exercises are a great way to strengthen the muscles. Simple exercises such as walking in water are enough to strengthen the muscles and reduce the chronic pain involved in fibromyalgia.
* On-the-spot bicycling
Fun to do. No need to go out. Can even be done while watching your favorite TV show. On-the-spot bicycling is another wonderful way to exercise and control the chronic pain involved in fibromyalgia. Stationary exercise bikes can be kept in a place in your house and can be used to exercise indoors. Here also, make sure that you slowly build up the time you spent cycling. Begin with cycling for about 5 minutes and slowly build it up to about 40 to 45 minutes.
* Stretching
Simple stretches can help elongate your muscles, strengthen them, and reduce the chronic pain of fibromyalgia. Make sure to do stretching exercises in a warm room. Stretching in a cold room increases the chances of hurting yourself. Early in the morning and just after a warm bath is a good time to stretch your muscles.
To get the most benefit for your chronic pain, make sure to breathe properly while stretching. Breathe deeply while going into a stretch and breathe out while you come back to the original position. Make sure not to push yourself. Often, individuals suffering from fibromyalgia push a little too much while going into a stretch. This can result in injury to the muscle and further aggravation of the chronic pain. The stretch should be held for as long as possible and then released slowly. If you are into strength-building or cardiovascular exercises, stretching after it can help reduce the soreness felt in the muscles the next day.
Simple yoga stretches such as the forward bend pose, cobra pose, and the tree pose can also help in stretching the muscles and in controlling the chronic pain involved in the fibromyalgia.
* Strength training exercise
Strength training exercises are also a very effective addition in a chronic pain management program for fibromyalgia. These include push ups, lifting light weights, and using resistance band. Joining a gym for these exercises will help you prevent injuries to the already tender muscles and joints. However, make sure that your instructor knows about your condition. This will help your instructor in devising a good strength-building exercise regime for you. Again, it is very important that you increase gradually so as not to cause further increase in your pain due to fibromyalgia. Of course, simple strength-building exercises such as push ups can easily be done at home.
Exercise can indeed prove to be very beneficial for chronic pain management in fibromyalgia. Which kind of exercise you should choose will depend on what you prefer and what works best for you. The important thing to remember, however, is that you should gradually increase the time of exercising. Attempting to do strenuous exercises in the beginning can lead to an increase in pain and you might feel discouraged and fearful of trying again. Also if one form of exercise does not work for you, try another form of exercise. Make sure that you exercise at least 30 minutes a day and 5 days a week. A regular exercise routine will be greatly beneficial in managing the chronic pain involved in fibromyalgia.
* Walking
No equipment required. Easy to do. Very little chances of hurting yourself. This is how you can describe this method of managing your fibromyalgia chronic pain. However, often people tend to make the mistake of beginning with 60 minutes of walking on the first day. And when it increases their discomfort, they give up.
If you have fibromyalgia and want to include walking as part of your chronic pain management program, you should begin with walking for 5 minutes. Keep adding 1 or 2 minutes to your walking routine each day. So, by the end of the first week, you will be walking for about 15 minutes. Next week, add about 3-4 minutes each day. By the end of the second week, you will be walking for about 40 minutes each day. Maintain this as your target for each day from thereon. Walk for about 40 to 60 minutes each day at least 5 days a week.
Make sure that your walking is relaxed and you are not walking very quickly. Try and walk in a place where the ground is as level as possible. A park or any natural setting is the best place to do your walking. Walking regularly will help exercise each and every muscle of your body and keep the symptoms of fibromyalgia under control.
* Swimming
If you know how to swim or if you have always wanted to learn how to swim, this is the right time to do it. Swimming is a great chronic pain management exercise for patients suffering with fibromyalgia.
Anyone who has fibromyalgia should begin with swimming for about 1 to 2 minutes and then gradually build up to about 20 to 30 minutes of swimming each day. Swimming is gentle on the joints and helps in exercising the various muscles on both sides of the body. The strengthening of the muscles and the joints helps reduce the pain felt when pressure is applied on the tender points of the body.
Swimming in warm water is very relaxing for the chronic pain involved in fibromyalgia. Even if you don’t know how to swim, just immersing yourself in warm water for about 30 minutes will provide much relief in the chronic pain. Additionally, you can learn some simple aquatic exercises which will further relieve the chronic pain. Since water offers natural resistance, aquatic exercises are a great way to strengthen the muscles. Simple exercises such as walking in water are enough to strengthen the muscles and reduce the chronic pain involved in fibromyalgia.
* On-the-spot bicycling
Fun to do. No need to go out. Can even be done while watching your favorite TV show. On-the-spot bicycling is another wonderful way to exercise and control the chronic pain involved in fibromyalgia. Stationary exercise bikes can be kept in a place in your house and can be used to exercise indoors. Here also, make sure that you slowly build up the time you spent cycling. Begin with cycling for about 5 minutes and slowly build it up to about 40 to 45 minutes.
* Stretching
Simple stretches can help elongate your muscles, strengthen them, and reduce the chronic pain of fibromyalgia. Make sure to do stretching exercises in a warm room. Stretching in a cold room increases the chances of hurting yourself. Early in the morning and just after a warm bath is a good time to stretch your muscles.
To get the most benefit for your chronic pain, make sure to breathe properly while stretching. Breathe deeply while going into a stretch and breathe out while you come back to the original position. Make sure not to push yourself. Often, individuals suffering from fibromyalgia push a little too much while going into a stretch. This can result in injury to the muscle and further aggravation of the chronic pain. The stretch should be held for as long as possible and then released slowly. If you are into strength-building or cardiovascular exercises, stretching after it can help reduce the soreness felt in the muscles the next day.
Simple yoga stretches such as the forward bend pose, cobra pose, and the tree pose can also help in stretching the muscles and in controlling the chronic pain involved in the fibromyalgia.
* Strength training exercise
Strength training exercises are also a very effective addition in a chronic pain management program for fibromyalgia. These include push ups, lifting light weights, and using resistance band. Joining a gym for these exercises will help you prevent injuries to the already tender muscles and joints. However, make sure that your instructor knows about your condition. This will help your instructor in devising a good strength-building exercise regime for you. Again, it is very important that you increase gradually so as not to cause further increase in your pain due to fibromyalgia. Of course, simple strength-building exercises such as push ups can easily be done at home.
Exercise can indeed prove to be very beneficial for chronic pain management in fibromyalgia. Which kind of exercise you should choose will depend on what you prefer and what works best for you. The important thing to remember, however, is that you should gradually increase the time of exercising. Attempting to do strenuous exercises in the beginning can lead to an increase in pain and you might feel discouraged and fearful of trying again. Also if one form of exercise does not work for you, try another form of exercise. Make sure that you exercise at least 30 minutes a day and 5 days a week. A regular exercise routine will be greatly beneficial in managing the chronic pain involved in fibromyalgia.
Copyright © Roohi Khan - 2009
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