Living With Chronic Pain – Spiritual Healing – Q&A – Exercising With Pain?
Q: What type of exercising do you do when having so much pain?
A: Good question.
Physically:
My ability to exercise has always been based upon what my body can tolerate. For instance, because of the fragility with my neck, not being able to lift anything more than five pounds, I haven’t been able to perform exercises that I once did prior to undergoing four neck surgeries. Thus, anaerobic type workouts, such as weightlifting, are strictly off limits. Regarding aerobic exercises, like running, walking and swimming, there are significant limitations placed upon these physical activities for me as well. As an example, if I were to attempt to walk on an inclined or rocky road, more compressive forces would be displaced throughout the structures in my neck, causing periodic episodes of pain exacerbation. Simply, this is prohibitive for me.
So instead, I perform fast-paced walking on a treadmill with the low-impact surface. I started out slowly, almost at an embarrassingly slow speed, and then I gradually progressed in my abilities to walk at faster paces for longer periods of time. Building a solid aerobic foundation for my body has been quite beneficial.
Behaviorally:
Oftentimes I do my treadmill exercises with tremendous pain. It’s not the kind of pain that causes clinical instability. Nonetheless, the process to exercise against pain is a delicate one. To cause instability is certainly contraindicated. To prolong an illness or disease from recovery seems quite irrational. But with my particular chronic condition, I’ve had it for fifteen years and can reasonably gauge the parameters of acceptable pain responses. I’ve trained my body through the good as well as the bad times.
Also, there is a psychology about exercising when having pain. For me the process is a form of worship with God. As with parents who delight in watching their children play a particular, organized athletic sport, when I work out, it’s like exercising my entire being and doing it to please God. His joy in watching me literally gives me the needed strength to finish my workouts. So when the pain seems unbearable, I still feel motivated to push forward regardless. I think of this process as spiritually exercising. It represents practical, rational worship of my body onto the Lord, being my spiritual service unto Him. After I push through the barrier of pain, discipline of mind and body bring about an expression of freedom for my life. For me, it’s been a very real way to exercise regardless of chronic pain.
Hope my response offers you insight as well about exercise.
Keep me on your favorites. Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.
