Move to Improve: Pain Relief Through Movement
As the year winds down, many of us feel the effects of long to-do lists, busy schedules, and the general stress of the holiday season. Between work, family commitments, and colder weather, it’s easy to find yourself feeling tense, sore, or simply worn out.
While reaching for pain medication can seem like the quickest fix, there are natural, effective ways to find relief and restore balance. Physiotherapy can help! Let’s explore two tools used in physiotherapy that can help you feel better: movement and deep breathing.
#1 Movement
When you're in pain, the natural instinct is often to rest. But staying still for too long can actually make pain worse. That’s because muscles weaken, joints stiffen, and circulation slows down all of which can increase discomfort.
Physiotherapists use targeted, gentle movements to help relieve pain and improve function. These might include:
- Stretching & mobility exercises to reduce stiffness
- Strengthening exercises to support overall function
- Walking programs to boost circulation and mobility
- Balance and posture training to reduce strain on joints & risk of falls
The goal isn’t to “push through” the pain, but to move in a way that supports healing. Regular movement helps the body release natural pain-relieving chemicals like endorphins, improves blood flow, and reduces inflammation. Even short bursts of gentle activity can help you feel more relaxed, energized, and resilient during a busy time of year.
#2 Breath Work
Pain and tension aren’t just physical, they're deeply connected to stress. During the holidays, when our minds are often racing, the body can stay in a constant “fight-or-flight” mode, leading to shallow breathing, tight shoulders, and increased sensitivity to pain.
That’s where deep breathing can make a big difference. Physiotherapists often teach diaphragmatic breathing (also called belly breathing) to activate your body’s relaxation response. This can slow the heart rate, calm the nervous system and aid in reducing the brain’s perception of pain in our daily lives.
Many people unknowingly fall into a pattern of apical breathing, also known as shallow or upper chest breathing. In this pattern, the breath stays high in the chest instead of expanding through the belly and lower ribs. While this type of breathing is normal during moments of stress or exertion (part of our body’s “fight-or-flight” response) it may become problematic when it becomes persistent.
When you breathe this way for long periods:
- Neck and shoulder muscles get overused, leading to tension, tightness, and headaches.
- The breath becomes quick and shallow, signaling the nervous system to stay alert and ready for action.
- The body remains in a sympathetic state, which can heighten pain perception and make it harder to relax or heal.
By contrast, diaphragmatic breathing encourages fuller oxygen exchange and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, often called the “rest and digest” mode which helps calm the body and mind.
Understanding the Nervous System’s Role
The autonomic nervous system has two main branches including the sympathetic nervous system & the parasympathetic nervous system. Let’s take a closer look at each of these systems…
The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS): This is your “fight-or-flight” system. It prepares the body for action, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension. When pain or stress is constant, the SNS can stay active longer than it should, keeping the body in a high alert state and can contribute to a more intense feeling of pain.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS): This is your “rest and digest” system. It slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and promotes relaxation and healing. Deep breathing can directly stimulate key parts of the PNS, helping the body transition from a state of tension to one of calm and repair.
The Power of the Breath
By shifting from apical to diaphragmatic breathing, you’re not just improving your breathing pattern, you’re actively retraining your nervous system to move out of the stress response and into recovery mode. This shift can:
- Reduce muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and back
- Decrease the body’s stress hormones
- Lower sensitivity to pain
- Improve focus and emotional regulation
Try this technique:
- Sit or lie comfortably with your shoulders relaxed.
- Place one hand on your chest, the other on your belly.
- Inhale slowly through your nose. Feel your belly rise.
- Exhale gently through pursed lips. Feel your belly fall.
- Repeat for 1–2 minutes, focusing on slow, steady breaths.
Practicing daily, deep breathing can reduce tension in the muscles, ease anxiety, and make it easier to manage discomfort.
In Summary:
Both movement and deep breathing play a key role in regulating the nervous system, which directly affects how we experience pain. When we’re stressed or in pain, the body often shifts into a “fight-or-flight” state resulting in increased muscle tension, heart rate, and the sensitivity of pain signals. Over time, this heightened state can make pain feel more intense and persistent.
Gentle, rhythmic movement and mindful breathing help activate the parasympathetic nervous system sometimes called the “rest and digest” system. This calming response helps lower stress hormones, relax tight muscles, and reduce the brain’s alarm signals related to pain. As the nervous system settles, the body becomes more equipped to heal and interpret pain sensations more accurately, rather than amplifying them.
By regularly practicing movement and breath work, you can retrain your nervous system to respond to pain and stress in a calmer, more balanced way through promoting long-term relief and resilience.
You don’t have to rely solely on pills to manage pain. With the guidance of a physiotherapist, gentle movement and mindful breathing can help you regain control, regulate your nervous system, reduce pain, and improve quality of life.
If you’re living with chronic pain or are looking for additional strategies to reduce stress, our team at Fit for Life Physiotherapy here to support you reach your goals and to enjoy a safe & active lifestyle through this busy season. The path to feeling better may be as simple as moving a little more and breathing a little deeper! Call us at (905)333-3488 if you have any questions or want to book an appointment.
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Taylor is a Registered Physiotheraist who received her Master’s in Physiotherapy from McMaster University. Taylor grew up playing many sports including soccer and figure skating leading to her interest in orthopaedic injuries and exercise focused treatment. She is passionate about providing patient centred and evidence based care to all of her clients! |