It’s common for people to use OTC painkillers to treat pain, but it’s not always the best way to deal with it, especially if it’s chronic. While they may bring pain relief, using them too frequently can cause even worse health problems, like heart and digestive issues. One alternative to medication, both prescription and OTC, is exercise. Exercise releases natural painkillers and improves circulation. They aid in reducing inflammation, which increases pain. Here are at-home exercises you can use that will help you feel better quickly.
You can do light cardio.
Walking is probably the easiest exercise for pain relief. You can do it anywhere, and it costs nothing. Even if it’s late at night or the weather is bad, you can do it in your home, pacing back and forth, or at a mall. You don’t have to walk fast or very far, especially if you’re in excessive pain. Take your time and walk a block or two. It helps build strength and improves heart health and endurance. As you get stronger, walk further and faster.
Stretching can reduce pain and prevent it in the future.
Whether you choose yoga poses or other stretches, you’ll get sore muscle relief. If you’re at a computer for hours, besides getting up and moving about once every 50 minutes, you should also do upper body stretches. Many people sit with their heads lower and forward. That can bring back and neck pain. Raise your arms in the air, clasp your hands, and lower them behind your back, moving your upper body opposite of your normal sitting position. Lean back as far as you can, arching your back. Arm circles help bring relief.
Improve flexibility and strength to reduce lower back pain.
Many exercises can help strengthen core muscles. The stronger your core muscles are, the less prone you’ll be to back pain. Combining the cat-cow yoga poses is one way to bring back pain relief. Start on your hands and knees for the cat pose by lowering your head and arching your back. Hold it for a second, and then move to the cow pose. You’ll raise your head and drop your stomach with a concave curve in your back. The dead bug, bridge, and lower back rotational stretch are excellent choices to relieve pain.
- Turn to the pool for low-impact exercises. Your body is more buoyant in water, putting less pressure on joints. It’s also harder to move in water since there’s more resistance. That makes a pool the perfect place to do pain-relieving exercises.
- You don’t have to have chronic pain to benefit from these pain-relieving workouts. You can use the exercises as recovery workouts the day after an intense session in the gym. They boost circulation and speed recovery.
- If you’ve ever felt like staying in bed because your body hurt too much or you didn’t feel up to it, only to find how great you felt once you got moving, you probably understand how being active helps.
- Before starting any fitness program, even one for pain relief, always check with your healthcare professional first to ensure it’s safe.
For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness