Avoiding Pain Medication With Exercise

Who wants to take pills and rely on medication to get them through the day? Not many of us, so why are so many prescriptions being made for pain medication across the UK? We published data from a recent study on the pain killer hotspots across the UK. This report details the cost per area and shows that North West and North Cumbria is the worst location in the UK for painkiller consumption. 

In this article, we look at sources and opportunities to help you reduce the need for pain relief. We explain how exercise can help and why it is important to consider how you exercise. 

I use painkillers, so get off my back

Back pain is one of the main issues reported for Chronic pain. A study from Versus Arthritis confirms that between 11.8 and 21.4% of adults in England and Wales, some 5.5 Million are estimated to have severe back pain, which is 61% of all people with back pain in the UK.

Use exercise to provide pain management

Below, we hear from Stafford-based, Former Harley Street Consultant, Author and Radio Personality Nicky Snazell. – Who was quoted again in the Guardian this week on keeping well in retirement. Nicky encourages mobility and exercise to help her patients combat chronic pain.  

“My name is Nicky Snazell, and I am known to some as ‘The pain killer’. After all, that’s what I do: I like to hunt down and seek out and kill pain, and I expect you want me to kill yours, too. Would you like to hire me out as an assassin? I realise how important it is to you to free yourself of unnecessary pain to enjoy life to the fullest. 

What qualifies me to have a go? Well, I’ve got nearly thirty years of experience and successful outcomes in treating pain.”

Daily Telegraph 19th August 2023 –  On Retirement

“Most people, if asked would they like to live longer, would say no because they are fearful of extending their suffering in old age.  But what if living longer and healthier was a reality? Most would undoubtedly jump at the chance.”

If you follow Nicky, you will see that she is a practical healer who does not just treat the Chronic pain itself but the reason behind it. Sometimes, this can be childhood trauma. Other times, it could be poor health due to lifestyle or an injury sustained in youth; whatever it is, she will help.

Clinics like Pain Relief Clinic and other Physiotherapists strongly recommend exercise to support recovery and longer-term pain suppression.  

How does exercise help pain management? 

Exercise helps pain management in several important ways, which will be covered in the following paragraphs. Please read all of the benefits and the advice to find your reasons to consider exercise. It may not be without initial discomfort and may require some perseverance, but it is worth the effort because eventually, you will strengthen and notice that you feel better and your pain has improved; with some luck, it may have even gone. 

Increases functional movement – Functional movement is a movement that supports your day-to-day activities by building muscle in those areas. The benefit is strength increases in the main movements, and core and chronic pain often exist in these primary movements. 

Builds supportive muscle – Exercise builds joint control in the joints themselves and surrounding tissue, which reduces wear and ensures efficiencies that make these movements easier. 

Provides essential hormones  – When we exercise, hormones provide an analgesic effect to make us feel good and make pain more palliative. They have other benefits, such as carrying messages around our bodies and instructing organs and chemical processes. 

Helps you tone and shed weight – Shedding pounds can take pressure off your joints, which reduces pain. Tone helps to distribute weight to key areas, which again can help to alleviate painful joints. 

Improves bone density – Exercise increases bone density, meaning the skeletal structure remains intact and supportive. Reduction in bone density can cause boner wear and tear you do not want. 

Improves blood flow – Blood flow is improved by exercise and can help tissue recovery and muscle health. Blood flow carries important hormones and oxygen-rich blood to the furthest vessels. Keeping the outer muscles in the best condition means that you can halt muscle regression and some types of failing health. 

Okay, but what does this all mean? 

In summary, exercise for some conditions can improve how you feel and reduce the stress on your painful areas. It can help you to become more mobile and stronger so that you are feeling less pain from primary movements. This pain reduction makes you feel better and reduces the pain loop. Physiotherapists can unlock your pain and help you move again. Once you are able, exercise can form more of a maintenance package for you.

With all the benefits of exercise, why wouldn’t you? 

It is certainly well worth considering exercise for your health generally, but if you suffer from chronic pain, it could be the solution you need to stave off long-term painkiller use. This is especially true of back pain, which is often experienced in the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine. Some conditions where a person might have hypermobility means that their joints are over-mobile and do not effectively support their bones, resulting in unusual wear and tear. Exercising can slow this condition and significantly reduce pain for those people. With companies like UK-based Mirafit selling fitness equipment online, strength and conditioning is made much easier even from your home. 

Your next move could help change your life for the better and for longer

Go and increase your exercise levels, build slowly and see how this helps your own condition. Hopefully, small increases in exercise will work for you, reducing your pain and providing a fuller and pain-free life. Plan to try this for a while after you have consulted a physiotherapist. You should have seen a benefit if you can maintain it for 3-4 months. Thank you for reading this article and considering the benefit of reducing reliance on heavy painkillers. Use the resources on this page for more information on any of the topics covered.