I was born with a fused spine, and b/c of that I have chronic lower back pain and very debilitating headaches that last for days. I really have found help in chiropractic care as well as acupuncture. My pain is manageable and I do not require pain meds as often. I also have taken up swimming as my exercise as less trauma to the joints and doesnt hurt as bad after. I did yoga for a min and I thought I was going to die, I cant run, nor can I do much heavy activity that requires a lot of use of my lower back as I cant bend in certain ways.

I can give you the # to my chiro, he is in east bay.

It's a common belief that pain is bad and failure is worse.

Bodybuilders use failure as a winning stopping point from their workout. That is their indicator that they've gone as far as they can in their workout.

I don't do that anymore but there is an idea around it that I like. That is that aches and pain can be good. Not bad.

When I get out and start working out after an extended down time, I start out slowly and deliberately. Then gradually work up.

I do not want to re-injure myself so I take it easy but also enjoy the feeling of those old aches and pains because then I know something is changing. My stiff muscles are being stretched and strengthened. Of course it uncomfortable. But to change my attitude from Ewwwwwwww, it hurts, to coooool this is great, makes all the difference in the world.

Taking a class and having a friend to share your feelings through this experience helps too. =)

Have fun,
Roger

I've been struggling with chronic pain issues for the past twenty years or so and, combined with some other health issues, they actually caused me to have to stop working. However, after I no longer had the pressure to take the drugs in order to keep to a regular schedule I found Pilates to be the biggest help of all for me.

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in the early nineties, something that seems to be quite a mystery to most doctors, even now, and is often missed, and I also have arthritis, which I suspect may actually be another thing many chronic pain sufferers have without being diagnosed, especially as it tends to be hereditary.

In any case, I used to take loads of drugs and the side effects were often as bad as, or worse, than what was being treated, though I couldn't always tell which was which.

I tried all sorts of exercise programs and different sorts of physical therapy before I found Pilates and sort of developed my own program that works for me and that I can start in bed, which is the only thing that actually allows me to get *out* of it some days.

A big mistake people make after physical therapy has helped is to stop doing the exercises once they're feeling better. Unless you've had an injury that you needed to recuperate from and all is well again one really needs to continue those exercises. If you're experiencing the same sort of hurt again you should go back to doing what helped you the first time, as well as easing yourself into something like Pilates (with professional help, of course) as a means to change your life.

Good luck. I hope you feel better!!!