How to Stay Active With Chronic Pain

Physical activity might be the last thing on your mind if you’re struggling with chronic pain. After all, why do something that only makes the problem worse?

However, the right type of exercise can help reduce chronic pain, boost your fitness, and significantly improve your quality of life. So, let’s see what you can do to stay active and improve your situation.

1. Start With Gentle Movement

You’ve probably heard the Chinese proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Right now, you can take the first step and invest in a better future. It might feel hopeless, but we all start somewhere.

Low-impact workouts for chronic pain that you can add to your day include walking, swimming, chair yoga, gentle stretching, exercises with light resistance bands, stationary bike riding, and even breathing exercises.

2. Boost the Intensity a Little

Once you gain momentum with gentle exercise and feel more confident, you can increase the intensity. Some of the best exercises for pain management you can do at this stage include: 

• Low-impact resistance training

You can introduce a variety of machine exercises that allow you to isolate different muscles. This includes lat pulldowns, chest presses, shoulder presses, bicep curls, tricep extensions, leg curls & extensions, and calf raises.

• Beginner yoga

Hatha is a fantastic practice with plenty of gentle poses you can work up to and strengthen your body while improving your flexibility.

• Core stability work

One of our best movement tips for chronic pain relief is to work on your core: the abs, obliques, transverse abdominis, lower back, and pelvic floor muscles. Some no-equipment activities include dead bug, bird dog, pelvic tilts, and crunches (only raising your shoulder blades a few inches).

3. Take Supplements

Supplements are not the most important part of the equation, but they can be helpful. For instance, magnesium, turmeric, and omega-3 fatty acids (commonly found in fish oil products) can help reduce inflammation, support muscle recovery, and positively impact pain and discomfort.

Another interesting option that’s been gaining popularity is supplements for pain management, like oils or gummies. Research shows they can help ease tension, improve sleep, and even reduce pain perception.

4. Listen to Your Body

There’s no single answer to “How to stay active with chronic pain?” The truth is, everyone is different, and no single progression plan works equally well for everyone.

That’s why it’s essential to tune in to how your body responds—day by day, activity by activity. Some days, you’ll feel strong and capable, while other days may call for rest or gentler movement. 

Instead of pushing through pain, learn the difference between soreness, a flare-up, and a healthy challenge and harmful strain.

5. Shift Your Mindset

Balancing chronic pain and exercise doesn’t happen overnight. The beginning might be tough, and you might feel like you’re doing more harm than good. 

But the truth is that, just as an athlete invests years to become great, you must also move away from the mindset of “What plan can I follow for x number of weeks” and toward “I’m training for life. I want to manage pain and feel better; exercise will play a major role.”

Progress won’t be linear; some days will be better than others. Chronic pain can also go away and return later. Don’t get discouraged; it’s part of the process. 

On that note, discomfort is okay and doesn’t mean you’re doing damage.

Final Words

Staying active with chronic pain can be tough, especially on days when the discomfort is too high. That’s why you must start small, gradually increase the intensity, listen to your body, and think about the long-term, rather than obsessing over a few bad days.