Exercise involves any type of physical activity that relieves stress. Both stretching and exercising can aid in reducing certain types of pain including back pain. Some of the top outdoor activities that the experts at Pain Specialty Group recommend to help lower your stress and relieve your chronic pain include walking, swimming, stretching, and spending quality time in nature.
Walking
What makes walking so simple, is that it can be done almost anywhere and at any time. Also, walking excludes any specialized or expensive equipment and can be done by any age regardless of fitness level. As you practice walking, you can increase your daily walking distance and eventually begin to start jogging, and maybe even running. It’s important, however, to not overdo it and put your body more at risk for pain. Walking has been proven to relieve joint relief, stress relief, and even has shown to reduce discomfort and pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
Swimming
Swimming is another example of a simple, yet effective exercise that helps you lose weight, improve mood, and also helps with mental health. Additionally, swimming can be a great way to get exercise while also relieving back pain, since swimming removes much of the burden on your body weight on both your back and spine. If you feel you would benefit, most medical professionals recommend partaking in aerobic exercises such as swimming between three and five times a week for about a half hour to an hour per session.
Outdoor Stretching/Yoga
There are a wide variety of stretches and yoga positions that can aid in relieving different types of pain and stress. For example, certain stretches are meant to relieve sciatica, neck pain, and abdominal pain. Most stretches are extremely easy to learn, too. When stretching is done correctly, it can lead to beneficial results in a relatively short period of time.
Spending Time In Nature
Many studies have demonstrated that going hiking, gardening, or doing other similar outdoor activities can relieve stress and chronic pain. Although it’s not realistic to get in the great outdoors on a regular basis, once in a while can be extremely helpful, especially with the warm weather just around the corner. New England has some great hiking trails and state parks, so we recommend visiting for a few days with some friends and family. Research has proven that spending time in nature can alleviate stress and anxiety, and also decrease the chance of developing depression.
If you are suffering from chronic pain in the New England area and you are looking for expert chronic pain providers that can help, don’t hesitate to contact Pain Specialty Group here. Our dedicated physicians have decades of experience developing personalized plans of care for their patients, and would be more than happy to assist you.
