Exercising with Chronic Pain

Rilzy

I'm 23 years old, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia a couple years ago which I still don't completely have under control. Completely unrelated to the fibromyalgia (or at least I think so) I suffer from ankle, knee, wrist and hip pain. Through a process of elimination I realized that certain exercises are off limits to me namely: Insanity, P90X (and all of the work outs like that) even quite a few of Jillian's work outs - I enjoyed doing 30 Day Shred but the knee and hip pain the day after means I can't exercise the next day. The treadmill is okay if I don't put the incline up too much or walk to fast but then that gets frustrating.

I tried yoga and had to stop because I couldn't do any of the moves which required weight being places on my wrist. I spent a lot of the class in child's pose which was embarrassing for me.The classes which ended up being productive meant that the instructor had to spend most of their time focusing only on me which isn't fair to the other class members. I will consider private lessons eventually but I'm still a student and I can't afford it now.

The Elliptical has been a saviour to me. As long as I wear my knee braces I can exercise moderately for up to 60 minutes.
I started in July with exercising 5 days per week and I slowly incorporated weights. By the start of the third week I had a flare up which prevented me from doing any exercise for two weeks. I tried three times during that two week period to get on the elliptical but then I only lasted 10 minutes and 15 minutes before I had to admit to myself it was too much and I was doing me more harm than good.

I've been back at it for four days now and even though I still feel a bit sore I am getting up to at least 40 minutes. Exercise is really important to me because not only does it make me really, really happy but I also find that it really motivates my eating healthy. Does anyone have any suggestions so that hopefully I can be consistent? Or any exercises which might be even more gentle?

lizziecheek

Exercising in a pool is the best overall exercise for chronic pain. There is no impact on joints. Are you ok in the water? Some are afraid. If you are ok you can water walk, jog, do laps, water aerobics, wear a buoyancy belt to deep water jog, anything you can do on leg, cardio and strength training can be done in water.

I have a pool close to me, it offers many things, and I swim for $1.50/hour.

LuckyMunky

Hey, feel free to add me if you want. I've been living with FM for 15 years now, was diagnosed twice by two different specialists. I have significant nerve damage in my legs and hands, which prevents me from doing a lot of activities.

I've found that the absolute best exercises for chronic pain are low impact (absolutely no running, jogging, bouncing, jumping, or anything else with a high impact on your joins.) Low impact exercises include walking, swimming, yoga, low impact aerobics, hiking, etc. Strength training is hit or miss... some people with FM can do it without problems, others (like myself) will be in pain for days after a weight lifting session.

To be consistent and to avoid causing your FM to flare, don't overdo it. Do not work yourself to the point of exhaustion. You HAVE to take it easier than others do, it's just a fact of having fibromyalgia and not a reflection of who you are. Walk every single day if you can, even if it's only for 20 minutes. Swim when you can, cycle, do some basic hatha yoga in the mornings... try several difference activities and decide what suits you most. Your options are limited because of your chronic pain, so don't beat yourself up if you truly can't do something that you "should" be able to do.

urbanyogini

I know your question is about exercise, but you might also want to try an anti-inflammatory diet, if you haven't already -- http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02012/anti-inflammatory-diet So much of our modern diet causes inflammation in the body and that is at the core of many difficult to treat chronic illnesses, including things like Fibromyalgia, RA, and such. We eat waaaaay too much sugar and processed foods, and our bodies are telling us to knock it off Since you've already tried yoga and encountered some challenges, consider doing restorative classes or finding a small class where it wouldn't be distracting for the teacher to spend extra time with you. Wishing you all the best in your journey!

theresa0165

Hi Ritzy, I agree with lizziecheek. One of the main reasons at least once a year I have to diet again is because when I have a flare up or break through pain I am limited to what I can do exercise wise. Even though I eat healthy generally I do splurge now and again.

I've had surgery multiple times in the last few years most recently this past May. Durning recovery no exercise so that has been set backs too. I've been released to exercise again and the only things I can do is swimming and recumbent bike. My PT said the recumbent bike is best for my back. I cannot do Elliptical even without incline. I can do the tread mill but have given up my membership due to so few things I can do there.

Last summer we invested in a nice above ground pool and i love it. I get such relief when exercising or just relaxing. I tell my husband all the time that if I could live in pool I'd be pain free. As lizziecheek said, jogging,walking , swimming laps is awesome exercise. Everything else hurts my back and my joints. I also have problem with elbows, wrists and knees. You may not feel like your burning calories but you are.

Also stretching after any exercise is very important. It hurts but hurts worse if you don't. Don't ever try stretching before exercise. You can hurt your muscles doing that. If you interested I can tell you some PT exercises I do in the pool.
Best wishes and Gentle hugs....

Stop by and check out my blog..spinalcordstimulatorjourney@blogspot.com

owieprone

I know your question is about exercise, but you might also want to try an anti-inflammatory diet, if you haven't already -- http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02012/anti-inflammatory-diet So much of our modern diet causes inflammation in the body and that is at the core of many difficult to treat chronic illnesses, including things like Fibromyalgia, RA, and such. We eat waaaaay too much sugar and processed foods, and our bodies are telling us to knock it off Since you've already tried yoga and encountered some challenges, consider doing restorative classes or finding a small class where it wouldn't be distracting for the teacher to spend extra time with you. Wishing you all the best in your journey!

i totally agree with Urban, it might also be worth your while reading 'Wheat Belly' (on amazon, book and recipe book available). I don't have FM, i have carb intolerance and food allergies and this book literally changed my life. I always knew bread was bad for me (makes me fat without much intake) but after reading that book i was amazed it's even legal. He has several case studies where people with various problems have reduced or gotten rid of their symptoms all together. Wheat is not good for you any more, there are loads of other flours out there that are much better for you and don't cost much more to buy and if you bake your own stuff, taste better and you know what's in them in the first place, which as far as i'm concerned can only be a good thing. I haven't cut wheat out completely as my intolerance isn't on the coeliac level and i can't afford to! (we are only getting round to getting a good range wheat free stuff being in the local shops, and they're bloody expensive). It's worth trying and opens up a whole new range of food to eat AND makes you google a lot more recipes to try, low carb recipes is a good one to try first to give you a good idea of what you can eat instead or use instead of your normal go tos like bread and pasta.
Since cutting out wheat (in anything but sauces etc) my skin hasn't been as itchy, i take antihistamines once maybe twice a fortnight now (it used to be daily), the rest of the time i can ignore any reactions as they're far less annoying and fade much quicker.

if it doesn't make any difference then at least you've tried and can rule that out as exacerbating your symptoms and you don't need to speak to your doc about it as its not a diet, just a change of which grains you eat (you can cut them out entirely if you feel like it they're not a staple that your body needs, you can get your carbs from veg and fruit instead, i rarely eat anything made with grains anymore).

It might not be possible for you to do this, but it's worth checking out and seeing if it makes any difference.

I also love the elliptical, would you be able to do rowing? If you can swim and have access to a pool, as the others have said, it is great for a full body workout with as much or as little effort as you can manage, even if it's just a 10 min saunter up and down a lane at super slow speed, it's still keeping you active and mobile.

Good luck with your exercising.

NewEffie

I’ve got a bum leg that I injured further with high impact activities like P90 and running. Some great alternatives for me have been water jogging, biking, hiking, and elliptical cardio. Best of luck to you!