Hubballi Pain And Palliative Care

Pain sensations are almost a daily affair in our everyday stressful lives.  We experience a lot of foot pain, back pain, headache after a gruelling day at work.  Do you want an ‘over the counter’ measure to treat it?

As simplistic as it may sound, taking a short walk of 15-20 minutes can work wonders for your pain. Studies show that an early morning activity as simple as a daily walk can have profound effects on the pain we suffer. Reflecting personally, I have seen many patients reporting that they feel immensely relieved of their pain or finding that their pain threshold has increased.

Instead of focusing on the reasons behind this, I would like to highlight the various benefits a brisk walk can have on our bodies.

• Endorphins: Nature’s Pain Killers
  Endorphins are our inbuilt, natural painkillers. They are physically present in our bodies but are secreted only when we are in an active state. Waking your body with a bolus of endorphins by walking can do wonders.

• Shinrin-yoku (Forest Walking)
  An ancient Japanese practice, Shinrin-yoku involves walking gently while connecting with nature. This practice has immune-boosting and mood-improving effects. It’s better to experience it rather than just reading about it. Most of us have felt this when we go for a walk. Excuses like rain or wind for not walking are actually reasons to go for a walk. Jogging in the rain gives an adrenaline rush to many.

• Disconnecting Yet Reconnecting
  Walking breaks the digital cord around us and provides a valuable opportunity to connect with the outside world. Many of us are either caught up in the rat race of competition, busy making presentations, or engrossed in social media. Walking for an hour breaks this cycle, allowing nature to reach us.

• Mindfulness and Meditation
  Walking gives us time to meditate on ourselves, our goals, our health, our pain, and everything we do. It’s a chance to reflect and gain clarity.

• New Bonds
  Families and friends often don’t get the attention they need. We don’t always have time to share our pain and suffering with others. Walking provides a chance to interact with them, helping to understand our pain better and boosting our energy levels.

• Grounding
  Speaking of energy levels, studies and ongoing research suggest that connecting our bodies directly to the earth (walking barefoot or sleeping on the ground) has health benefits similar to those our ancestors enjoyed. While evidence for this is not robust, the rationale seems sound. I wouldn’t encourage sleeping on the ground as our spines are no longer adept at it, but walking barefoot for short distances is worth considering. Special footwear like Vibram FiveFingers can help.