May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, and Southwest Spine and Pain Center is taking this time to remind patients to stay physically active. Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that often leaves patients devoid of motivation. However, physical fitness or any form of activity can actually help relieve painful symptoms.
At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, we treat a number of chronic conditions from low back pain and fibromyalgia, to acute pain and neuropathy. Nerve pain is a common development in people with diabetes. This enervating symptom can certainly turn anyone into a couch potato and Southwest Spine and Pain is here to prevent that from happening. With four locations across Utah (Richfield, Logan, St. George, and Cedar City), our specialists can better care for patients in rural communities.
According to a study published in the Anesthesia & Analgesia journal in June 2012, reduced levels of inflammation-promoting cells can help relieve nerve pain. Ctyokines are proteins that promote an immune system response, primarily inflammation. Dr. Yu-Wen Chen, professor at China Medical University in Taiwan, says that nondrug treatment is useful in treating neuropathic pain by reducing cytokines in the body.
Nerve pain is still a mysterious symptom that physicians and researchers are still figuring out. It is often difficult to treat, often developed in patients with diabetes or traumatic injury. Patients who have lost a limb and experience phantom limb pain often experience nerve pain, too.
Dr. Chen’s study assessed rats with sciatica nerve injuries. These rats were assigned exercises to completed over a few weeks. The researchers discovered that the rats that used swimming and treadmill running as exercises had “significant reductions in neuropathic pain.” Within the results, researchers discovered that the exercises also reduced the inflammation-promoting cytokines in the rats’ nerve tissue. This information suggests that physical activity increases the promotion of the heat shock protein-27, a cytokine-reducing contributor.
At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, we encourage patients to engage in light physical activity as they see fits best. Please talk to your physician before changing your treatment plan. If you or someone you know suffers from a chronic condition, please contact the specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center for help.
If chronic pain is impacting your life, don't wait to schedule an appointment at Southwest Spine and Pain Center. With three locations and growing, the pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center are dedicated to helping those who suffer from chronic pain live the life they want to! To schedule an appointment, visit our locations tab!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.
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