Pain bannock

Whether your pain has just come on or you’ve lived with it for years, these tried-and-tested self-help steps can bring you relief. Activity also helps lessen pain by stretching stiff and tense muscles, ligaments and joints. It’s natural to be hesitant if exercise is painful and you’pain bannock worried about doing more damage.

But if you become more active gradually, it’s unlikely you’ll cause any damage or harm. The pain you feel when you start gentle exercise is because the muscles and joints are getting fitter. In the long term, the benefits of exercise far outweigh any increase in pain. When the pain is intense it’s very easy to start taking shallow, rapid breaths, which can make you feel dizzy, anxious or panicked.

This will help you to feel more in control and keep you relaxed and prevent any muscle tension or anxiety from making your pain worse. The British Pain Society’s website also has a number of booklets and patient information leaflets about managing pain. This can make the pain even worse, making you fall into a downward spiral. Living with pain is not easy and you can be your own worst enemy by being stubborn, not pacing your activities every day and not accepting your limitations. Some people find it useful to get help from a counsellor, psychologist or hypnotherapist to discover how to deal with their emotions in relation to their pain.