To start exercising with pain, begin with very gentle, short sessions of low-impact movement (like walking, swimming, or chair exercises) and focus on dynamic warm-ups and static cool-downs, using heat/ice as needed, gradually increasing duration and intensity only if you feel manageable discomfort, not sharp pain; see a doctor or physio if you're unsure, as consulting a professional is crucial for a safe start.
Slowly increase exercise intensity. Even just doing 10 minutes a day of light exercises is a good place to start. You want to build up your momentum slowly and consistently. If you're too sore to do strength-based workouts, do some yoga or go for a walk instead.
If you're ultra sore after a hard workout, skip the weights and go for a walk instead. Or, try swimming laps or doing a gentle yoga class. There also are many options for relieving soreness in-between periods of active recovery.
Types of exercise for chronic pain
Try regular gentle aerobic activity such as brisk walking, swimming, or bicycling to improve cardiovascular health and stay limber. Such exercise may also ease dull, cramping pain in the limbs caused by poor circulation.
Get some gentle exercise
Simple, everyday activities like walking, swimming, gardening and dancing can ease some of the pain directly by blocking pain signals to the brain. Activity also helps lessen pain by stretching stiff and tense muscles, ligaments and joints.
The 4 P's of Chronic Pain—Pain, Purpose, Pacing, and Positivity—provide a framework for understanding and managing chronic pain effectively. This article will delve into each of these components, offering insights and strategies for those grappling with chronic pain.
Most workouts are supposed to involve a degree of discomfort for your body to benefit from them. But the “no pain, no gain” mantra only extends so far and if you push past the point of severe discomfort you are likely asking for trouble down the line.
A well-known comprehensive approach to the management of persistent pain is the Five A's of Pain Management: analgesia, activities of daily living, adverse effects, affect, and aberrant drug-related behaviors.
Exercises for chronic pain
Three of my favorite formats for pain practice are long accelerations, stretch intervals, and open-loop progressions, described below.
“My rule is that working out with a little bit of stiffness or soreness is okay. If it's a 1, 2 or 3 out of 10, that's okay. If it's getting above that, or the pain is getting worse during activity, or if you're limping or changing your gait, back off the intensity of the workout.”
Over-the-counter pain medications like acetaminophen, ibuprofen or naproxen sodium, as well as topical ointments and patches can help with pain relief, but don't discount the power of movement, says Christopher. In addition to routine aerobic exercise, try gentle stretching, yoga or a muscle massage.
Approaches to chronic pain management include: Lifestyle changes, like weight management, stress management and physical activity. Physical therapy and occupational therapy.
Targeted strategies such as pacing activities, challenging negative thoughts, and engaging in gentle exercise can help disrupt the chronic pain cycle (see recommendations in the article).
He suggests taking a day off, then doing a shorter, less strenuous workout. If your pain still doesn't let up, switch to a less intense form of exercise, such as trading your elliptical workout for water aerobics. And when in doubt, see your physician.
Here are my suggestions for getting through a sidelining event.
I promise!
Thus, what I developed was a conceptualization of the 5 basic or general skills that every patient with chronic pain should work to master to have the most success in dealing with their pain condition: understanding, accepting, calming, balancing, and coping.
Certain exercises are difficult on the body and may cause inflammation like heavy weight training, CrossFit, etc., if not performed properly. However, exercises like yoga, swimming, and resistance training can be great resources to reduce inflammation in the body.
Chronic Pain Relief New Treatments – Journavx™ (suzetrigine)
In January 2025, the FDA approved Journavx (suzetrigine) – the first truly new class of pain medication in over 20 years. Instead of affecting your entire nervous system like opioids do, it specifically blocks Nav1.
Pain can be acute, meaning new, subacute, lasting for a few weeks or months, and chronic, when it lasts for more than 3 months.
Most commonly, tapering will involve dose reduction of 5% to 20% every 4 weeks. More rapid tapers may be required in certain instances like drug diversion, illegal activities, or situations where the risks of continuing the opioid outweigh the risks of a rapid taper.
Generally, it's fine to exercise when you're feeling a little sore, experts say. But exercising when you are experiencing excessive soreness puts you at risk for injury like muscle strain or joint injuries, says Kuzmiak-Glancy.
Stretching daily for 10-15mins is a good practice for managing pain. Dynamic stretching involves actively moving muscles to stretch them out and is most commonly done before exercise. This form of stretching prepares the body for exercise, reducing the risk of injury, allowing the blood to start flowing to muscles.
There are some things you can consider as part of your action plan: