Pain Relief…from yoga? Absolutely!
Many of my patients I see have tried many different avenues to try and get sufficient pain relief. Most have tried oral medications. Some have tried topical medications. Others have tried invasive procedures like steroid injections or radio frequency ablations. Still others have tried cognitive behavioral therapy or cannabidiol products. There are also many other therapies one might try like music therapy or guided imagery or even plain meditation. However, when I ask patients about doing yoga for pain relief, they look at me like I’m offering some kind of voodoo witch-doctor type interventional therapy.
On the contrary, Yoga has been proven to help with long term chronic pain more than just about anything else out there right now. I can already see many of you shaking you head in disapproval thinking “come on, Taylor, I am not dressing myself in tight workout clothes and going to attempt to twist myself into a pretzel.” Well rest assured, my friend, you do not need special workout clothes or even be flexible for that matter. To give you a point of reference, I used to play football and I still like to lift weights. I am not flexible! I wear a pair of shorts and a T-shirt most workouts. That is just fine for folks who what to give yoga a try.
You do not need a fancy gym membership or buy expensive DVDs off your favorite infomercial. All you need is the desire to improve yourself and improve your chronic pain. I can hear another group of you in the back saying “ya, but don’t you need a lot of time to do this?” Nope. 10-15 minutes a day is a good starting point. And, you only need to do what you are comfortable with. I will tell you again, I am not flexible and there are certain things I just cannot do when it comes to yoga. But, do what you can. Search for yoga videos on youtube on your smartphone, pick your favorite, and you are good to go. Give it an honest 2-3 week try and see how you feel. Be sure to keep a journal to see if you are making progress.
I have linked to an article below for more or the nuts and bolts of this. And as always, if you would like to talk more about this and any of your chronic pain and how we can serve you, please make an appointment.
Now with three pain clinics open serving Davis, Weber, Box Elder, Cache and surrounding counties, Peak Health and Wellness is ideal for those who want a highly skilled doctor to accurately diagnose your nerve pain and tailor a treatment plan that restores your life. Contact one of our three offices to schedule a detailed evaluation today – (801) 689-3389.