Understanding and Moving with Chronic Pain
Have you ever had one of those dreams where you were falling from an unimaginable height? The ground rushes closer, and you brace for impact, feeling completely helpless. Then, you wake up.
This is how I describe living with chronic pain. For many chronic pain sufferers, just like in the dream, pain comes on without any logical explanation. It strikes without warning, leaving you vacillating between blame and denial. Then, just as you’re about to seek help, it vanishes or changes.
And then it returns. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe in a completely different part of your body. This time it lingers. It starts to wear you down, casting a shadow of doubt on every move you make. Simple tasks become monumental challenges. A walk around the block, a night out to dinner, even getting a good night's sleep – all become fraught with the fear of triggering another episode.
Chronic pain is an invisible illness, difficult for others to grasp. How can something hurt constantly for no reason? Why can't you just "push through it"? The truth is, chronic pain is complex. It's physical, emotional, and psychological. It can breed anxiety, depression, and isolation, disrupting sleep, relationships, and careers. It can steal your joy, leaving you feeling trapped. And each person will experience it in a different way.
As a long-time Pilates teacher, I've had the privilege to work with many people living with chronic pain. As a person living with chronic pain myself, I’ve had to navigate the challenge of supporting both my mind and body through the rollercoaster of living with it. I've witnessed and lived with the limitations, frustrations, and incredible resilience that is part of the chronic pain experience. And I’ve learned that the only way forward is to embrace a sense of trial and error, to find ways to keep going.
Not surprisingly for this audience, one of the most powerful tools I've found for managing chronic pain is movement. But it's not just any movement. It's about finding ways to move that feel good, nourish the body, and calm the nervous system. It's about reclaiming a sense of agency in a body that often feels unpredictable.
There are a few principles I've found helpful both in my teaching and movement practices:
Systemic Heat: Warm your body from the inside out. Gentle, rhythmic movements, like slow spinal articulation or flowing arm circles, increase circulation and create warmth. This, along with synovial fluid released in the joints, can soothe aches and promote relaxation. While a sauna or hot tub is ideal, I often use a rebounder for a fun and effective warm-up.
Explore Your Ranges: Instead of fixating on pushing limits, explore ranges of motion that feel good. "Tiptoe" to the edge of discomfort to understand your limits for the day. This fosters a partnership with your body's signals, rather than feeling at their mercy.
Seek Balanced Perspective: People with chronic pain are intimately familiar with it. Their nervous systems are often on high alert. I encourage clients to acknowledge what's working well in their bodies, widening the lens beyond pain. This can lead to more movement and improved pain perception.
Breathe: Deep, diaphragmatic breathing is essential. It calms the nervous system, reduces stress, and improves oxygen flow. With some clients, we work on breathing around the pain, creating space to "converse" with it. By personifying pain, we can ask questions like, "What does it want you to know today? What would be most helpful?" The body not only keeps the score, but it can be a great partner to strategize ways to work with pain.
Living with chronic pain can be an isolating experience, but it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. There are some who will suggest that your experience is fabricated - all in your head, so-to-speak. If you encounter those people, move on quickly and keep the faith that there are healthcare providers, therapists, and support groups that can help. As a trusted member of my team said to me: “Your pain matters.”
There will be good days and bad days, setbacks and breakthroughs. It's important to be patient with yourself, to celebrate your successes, and to learn from your challenges. While the path to finding help may be bumpy, it’s important to remember to keep moving, exploring, and believing in your body's ability to heal.
I write this while I await test results that may offer an answer to the pain I experience. On the other hand, they may not. I'm reminded at this moment that uncertainty is an inherent part of this journey. But even in the face of the unknown, there is hope. There is the power of movement, the strength of community, and the resilience of the human spirit. And sometimes, just like in that falling dream, we wake up and find ourselves safely on the ground, ready to face a new day.
With over two decades of experience in movement instruction, Jenna Zaffino is a powerhouse entrepreneur, movement educator, speaker, and coach based in Chicago. She specialises in breaking down complex movement science into easily accessible forms and has helped thousands of clients shift their mindsets, increase their physical resilience, and find their own individual wellness practices. When she's not inspiring her clients at her North Center studio, Jenna loves to spend time with her family creating “movement mischief.”