Chronic pain and exercise

Hi. I am sorry for the trouble you are going through. I have chronic back pain and had a fusion performed a few years ago. I have had steroid injections, nerve blocks. and radio ablation performed to reduce the pain but it never goes away. I also had knee surgery because my knee caps kept coming out of place when I bent my knees.

I paid thousands of dollars to trainers and I found out that starting slow is what worked best for me. I started by just walking slightly uphill on like a 3.0 for 30 min a day and doing water aerobics 3 times a week. Slowly, after a few months, I started feeling stronger and my pain was actually decreasing. I of course have pain meds to help with it, but ironically, when I worked out more, I noticed I was using my pain meds less often. I would always have half a bottle left over each month. Once you get stronger and start losing weight, things will get easier. You will feel when your body is ready to take it to the next step, i.e. higher inclines, faster pace, doing lifts. etc.....My doctor told me never to lift more than 10lbs again for the rest of my life because he wants to do another surgery to remove the back of my spine above the fusion to relieve pressure off my nerve but I declined it, started working out, and in 6 months, I was dead lifting 90lbs and doing Good Mornings! Of course with a lower back injury any doctor will say they don't advise it and I'm nuts, but the after pain was temporary and was way less that the pain I feel from laying around and sitting all day.

Always try options that are not harsh on your joints like the Gazelle, elliptical, and water exercises, and move on from there at your own pace. The main thing to remember is not to compare yourself to other people there. I used to do that. I would get frustrated with myself and think, what a loser...I can't jog for longer than a few minutes without a walk break...well those other runners out there may not have titanium in their backs or knee problems....maybe they do....Just don't compare yourself to them....compare yourself to you! Look at the brightside and see how much you improve over time and use that as motivation. I did my first 5 k, and then my second and was jogging the entire way! You work your way up to it.

I don't have fibromyalgia, so I don't know what your limitations are or what you are going through, but I hope you find a good routine that helps you. And I wish you the best! It's a challenging road ahead, but if you stay motivated, then you can do it!

Tons of things. You just take your chances when you get them.


However, specifically relating to chronic ankle sprains, I managed to do that in the mid 90s, having already mashed the same ankle up twice before. It just wouldn't heal, the doctors thought I was exaggerating, etc.

Anyhow, after a few years, I got referred to a specialist, who said the injury had been compounded by crap collagen and elastin in my body and a surgical solution would put me in a wheelchair for nine months and no weightbearing for three. I lived on the third floor with no lift. Up the top of a hill. With no transport.

Anyhow, there wasn't any funding for physio, but I managed to get hold of an air cast. I wore that thing everyday for months, and inflating the cushioning to provide compression felt great.

My ankle healed without further treatment. It's a little cranky occasionally, but nothing compared to how it used to be.

I'm super careful about good shoes and not overdoing things, but a simple boot cast that I could take off and move around without everyday, whilst having protection outside, was the solution for me.