In my Massage therapy practice I deal with many people in chronic pain, where pain is simply a daily part of life. It’s very tough for them, yet they still want to build activity and quality experience into their lives. How do we build movement back into our lifestyle when we feel like we’re so far behind from where we were?

It starts where you are now!

In your head you might hear, “You’re not as young as you used to be, so maybe you should just accept that you can’t move as well as you used to, or can’t do as much as you could!” Those just are simply not true for any of us. Yes, we all have realities that we have to face, but we can always choose to build a better life for ourselves. We may have to adapt to changes and modify what we do, but we can always be building in a positive direction.

We must look at where we are and decide where you’d like to go. If arthritis or any form of chronic pain has left you at the point where you feel like you can barely move, take an honest look at what movements you can still do and where your limitations are:

• Can you still walk?
• Can you reach your hands over your head or above your shoulders?
• Do you struggle with stairs or opening jar?

Assess the skills you still possess and build from there.

It’s important to start somewhere. If your goal is to walk down the steps and around the block, that’s where you begin. First you have to master the steps. One step at a time until you’ve reached the bottom. And when you get there – if you are tired, rest and start again. Practice the stairs over and over until you know you are ready to walk out onto the driveway. The next time you do the steps, now add the driveway. Practice moving, just a little further each time; first the stairs, the driveway, four houses down the block and back. The next time, add a few more houses to your walk and each time adding a little more distance until you reach your goal. Step by step, stage by stage you will get there.

The key is to always know what the next step is, know if you’ve pushed too hard and don’t be afraid to adjust your plan along the way.

If during your walk off the driveway, you know that it’s been too far, reset your goal – giving yourself enough time to adjust to the distance.

Give yourself a goal, the steps to reach it and precious time (with a little patience) to practice and progress and you can achieve any goal for your health, and your life.

Click Here! for a top notch Pain Management system I found designed for the majority of Back Pain, Sciatica and Muscle Imbalance sufferers. I Highly Recommend this program.

The System Includes:
a Self Assessment workbook, Manuals, Video and Audio instruction, Clear direction of how to assess your individual pain sources, the exercises and stretches to eliminate the pain. It’s a very powerful program and if you are suffering from Chronic Back Pain may hold the answers you are looking for.

Darren Hutchison
Registered Massage Therapist
Soul Vitality
Lethbridge, Alberta

Tags: Pain Management

This entry was posted on January 6, 2010 at 7:19 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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