The Physical Activity Guidelines, Exercise, and Pain
Exercise is something that has always been a part of my life, whether it was playing sports, riding my bike or strength training. Fortunately, I have lived a life where I have not dealt with much pain and the pain that I have dealt with was always manageable *knocks on wood*. I attribute my good fortune to staying active throughout my life and continuing to do so to this day. As a physical therapist, I ask every one of my patients what their daily activity looks like. At previous jobs, the majority of patients were not doing much physical activity. The reason I bring this up is because there is research out there that states that being physically active can decrease the risk of disease and help with pain.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, adults should do at least 150 minutes to 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes to 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week. Seems pretty simple right? Think again. Here are some alarming statistics, according to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health:
Roughly 117 million people in the U.S. have one or more preventable diseases
7 of the 10 most common chronic diseases are favorably influenced by regular physical activity
Approximately 80% of adults do not meet the guidelines stated above for both aerobic and strength activity
This is linked to roughly $117 billion spent in healthcare costs and 10% of premature mortality
We live in a society that is essentially getting lazier by the day with cars that drive themselves and getting groceries does not even require you to get out of the car or even leave your house. And with the advancement in technology and the growing beast that is social media, I fear it is only going to get worse.
I say all this because I know firsthand what exercise can do for someone and what the lack of physical activity can do as well. My father, who I loved dearly, unfortunately passed away a couple years ago to a battle with cancer. He also dealt with preventable diseases like Type II diabetes and hypertension. He was someone who was not meeting the physical activity guidelines regardless of how much I encouraged him to be more active. And while I know how tough cancer can be, it always makes me wonder if he would still be here to this day had he been more active because his body would be more resilient. I don’t bring this up for your sympathy as I have grieved and made peace with his passing. But I bring it up because we as humans are in a global epidemic of a sedentary lifestyle that is leading to a life expectancy that is getting shorter rather than longer. As humans, we are designed to move. We are designed to be active and resilient in this ever-changing world.
I will end with some of the evidence of physical activity benefits from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health promotion:
Reduced risk of cancer at a greater number of sites
Brain health benefits, including possible improved cognitive function, reduced anxiety and depression risk, and improved sleep and quality of life
For people with various chronic medical conditions, reduced risk of all-cause and disease-specific mortality, improved physical function, and improved quality of life.
As a physical therapist, I encourage all my patients to be active outside of their PT session and will always encourage them to continue to go to the gym or participate in an activity as long as it is appropriate. The PT session will focus on addressing the impairments and developing strategies to work-around the pain when you are at the gym.
If you are someone dealing with pain or looking to be more active, the team over at Loon State Physical Therapy is able to help. We serve the twin cities communities with locations in Lake Elmo, Linden Hills and Minnetonka. Feel free to call us at (612) 405-8503 or book online at www.loonstatephysicaltherapy.com for an in-person or virtual appointment.
Loon State Physical Therapy approaches physical therapy with a fitness forward approach and specializes in treating the active adult. We look forward to working with you!
https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf