Stretching and exercise are my daily medicine

Getting fitter and more active played a major factor in reducing my pain. At the start I was one of those people who thought that exercise equalled more pain. It did in the early days, as I tried too hard to do too much, too soon and too fast, I over paced it.

Many people with pain like me stop keeping active because when we move it hurts, but then our muscles become weak and unsteady and our joints get what I call “rusty”.

It’s true that when we start stretching and exercising pain levels can increase, but they soon drop off.

Look at it this way, if a door has not been opened for some time, the hinges may creak a bit. When we move the door backwards and forwards a few times… it stops creaking. It’s the same with our joints and body.

For me getting fitter means not having to take pain medication. I haven’t done so for the past few years. Stretching and exercising are my daily doses of medicine. The only side effects are less pain and feeling good about myself!