Thinking Out Loud

One part of my job is to help my clients treat and prevent injuries. I am not a physical therapist but we are trained on how to use certain tools to help alleviate certain issues and injuries. Half of the time we figure out the best tools they need in order to keep them healthy while they train for some crazy event, like their first marathon. The other half of the time I work with clients that are in chronic pain at work (most of which are sitting for the majority of the day).

When pain has been present more than three months, it is termed as chronic. For those of you that sit at a desk majority of the day, you have probably experienced some back or neck pain at some point. Here are a few tips and tools you can use to prevent chronic pain:

1) Reduce stress with meditation or deep breathing: Seems simple and it is. The fact of the matter is, when our minds are stressed our bodies typically reflect that. Stress causes inflammation and then our muscles tense up. Finding a quiet space, repeating a mantra and taking several deep breaths clearing the mind can be incredibly beneficial.

2) Massage: I love Addaday products. I tend to get really tense in my neck so I use a small handheld massager that I can take anywhere. There is a lot of research on the benefits or massage for the over active mind. Check out this article from the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/massage/art-20045743

This one is called the Junior.

3) Exercise: Physical activity is a great way to block pain signals from traveling to the brain. Get moving and sweat at least once a day to help relieve tension. Staying stagnant can add to muscle tightness!

4) Limit smoking AND alcohol: This all comes back to avoiding things that increase inflammation. Both of these affect the body in a negative way. Alcohol affects sleep and smoking affects circulation.

It can be difficult to stay positive when you are living with chronic pain. Try replacing negative thoughts like "I can't do anything because of my pain" with "There are still things I CAN do and I am thankful for that".