The Benefits of Small Movements for Pain Relief

One of my class members was chatting to me about my Stretch class, and he said "your class is extraordinary! The movements are so small it's like watching pain dry".

Just as I was wondering what he was getting at, he then went on to say "But afterwards how you feel. Everything you teach about the body is true. It's really very special!".

You might be thinking *YAWN* Small movements, BORING

What can small movements possibly do for you, especially if you're used to driving your body with a "No pain, no gain" mindset that's very common in fitness circles. Even in Yoga, Pilates and Stretch classes I see participants pulling and pushing their bodies, striving for the very end ranges of motion, even if it's hurting them. 

There are 5 awesome benefits that small movements have on health and fitness:

• Safety & pain relief
• Prevent injury
• Future-proof your joints
• Successful recovery from injury
• Reduce Kinesiophobia

Do any of these surprise you?

Let's get a little deeper into why small movements assist with these 5x benefits....

1) Safety & Pain Relief

The risk of injury is much lower because you're in more control of your control of your body. The potential to over-stretch or strain a muscle is vastly reduced with small movements.

Small movements are less likely to excite the nervous system, which then leads to a flare up of pain and inflammation after the session. This is useful for chronic, inflammatory conditions like fibromyalgia, and means you can enjoy the benefits of movement without fear of feeling like s**t afterwards.

With small movements you're gently exploring range of motion without irritating that joint. This helps to soothe painful conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia and hypermobility syndromes, such as EDS (Ehlers-Danlos).

2) Injury Prevention

A lack of control and stability around the joints is a massive factor in how much of an injury risk you are. 

Small movements help you to recruit the deeper stabilising muscles, so your movements become more efficient and effective.

Your joints will be better balanced, and you'll have more core stability without the need to constantly brace your trunk muscles. You'll feel less stiff, tense and tight. 

You'll have a much higher chance of staying injury-free, with a lower risk of losing your balance and falling. 

All good things!!!

3) Future-proof Your Joints

We often blame getting older for aches and pains.

Actually, wear and tear on our joints is usually a result of movement compensations over time creating unnatural loads and forces on the body.

You start loading and moving your joints and muscles in ways they weren't originally designed for. These changes to how the body naturally functions is felt as muscle tension, joint stiffness and pain. 

When joints become unbalanced and de-centred, the protective lining of the joint and cartilage of the bones gets eroded and damaged. Although ageing doesn't help (many bodily processes become less efficient as we get older), the root driver behind these changes is often altered or compensatory movement patterns. 

These compensations can arise from lifestyle (sedentary), work (sitting at a desk / bending over etc), previous injuries and surgery.

Small movements help you to become aware of your compensations, and restore lost childhood patterns for easy, pain-free movement. 

4) Successful Injury Recovery

Small movements help develop your sensory awareness and neuromuscular control skills.

Thee skills are particularly important if you're getting over an injury or surgery, say a joint repair or replacement.

Small, mindful movements shine a light on the compensation patterns you'll have adopted whilst injured or pre-surgery when you were in pain. Once you're aware, then you can change them, so you don't carry them forward with you, and simply end up back where you started....In pain!

So many of my class members have achieved amazing results with small, mindful movements - Finding long-term relief from foot pain, shoulder pain, back pain, knee pain, fibromyalgia, EDS, a 3 month headache that stumped a doctor and optician, and more.....

5) Reduce Kinesiophobia

An often forgotten and rarely discussed component in chronic pain is kinesiophobia = a fear of movement, typically after injury or surgery.

But kinesiophobia is a HUGE reason why many people stay stuck in pain and become less and less active. 

When you start worrying about whether something might hurt, your muscles will instinctively brace to limit your movement and guard against any pain. This is how movement compensations begin, altering how the muscles and joints are loaded as well as changing the forces going through them. 

The joints and muscles start to get sore from being used differently, reinforcing the belief that movement hurts.

Small movements often feel safer to the nervous system, so the muscles are less likely to reflexively brace and guard. As movements feel less restricted and painful, you'll regain confidence in your body.

With confidence comes ease!

NEXT STEPS

** BOOKINGS NOW OPEN ** 

The Befriend Your Body Method for Pain Management & Relaxation

A small group, tranquil mindful movement class for pain management and relaxation, with a deeply relaxing sound bath meditation and a 1:1 coaching slot for you to get help with a specific pain or injury before the class.

During the class, you'll learn how to use small movements to successfully ease tension and reduce pain, then immerse yourself in the calming sounds and healing vibrations of the crystal singing bowls, ocean drum and rain stick. You'll leave feeling fully rested, relaxed and rejuvenated. 

This class is for you whether you're looking for a natural way to manage pain, or simply to quietly rest in a peaceful sanctuary.

Click HERE for all the details, including how to book. Numbers are limited to a small group to nurture a friendly, inclusive and supportive community for all members.

Other ways you can find help with managing chronic pain or an injury are:

• Book into a Stretch or Pilates class with me - these are a good introduction to The Befriend Your Body (BYB) Method (mindful movement) for pain management.
• Get your copy of my free E-guide "How to Get Relief From Back Pain and Muscle Tension in just 10 mins a Day". This introduces the 3x universal stress responses that can keep you stuck in pain, and explains the 4x pillars of The BYB Method. There's also 2x video tutorials showing you how to release muscle tension from the front and back of your body in the comfort of your without expensive equipment. Download HERE
• Subscribe HERE to receive "The Movement Chronicle", a weekly e-newsletter delivering mobility and pain reduction tips directly into your inbox every Monday morning,

You can connect with me through any of these channels:

• Email at norma@unicornhealthandfitness.com
• Follow me on Facebook and DM me on Messenger https://www.facebook.com/norma.pearsonfitness
• WhatsApp message to 07801 867361.