This Effective Pain Reliever Doesn't Involve A Single Pill

 

 

It’s hard enough to find the motivation to exercise, let alone if you’re one of the 100 million Americans dealing with chronic pain on a daily basis. But like most things that are good for us, it’s worth pushing yourself to get it done. In addition to reducing pain, stiffness, and inflammation, new research shows that regular aerobic exercise (like a daily walk or quick stint on the elliptical) could actually turn down the volume of your discomfort by increasing your pain tolerance.

There are all kinds of different pains that we feel, but the study, published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, measured two specific types: ischemic pain, a burning pain you feel when your muscles aren't getting enough oxygen (similar to the pain caused by peripheral arterial disease); and pressure pain, like you might feel when there's too much pressure applied to a muscle during a massage.

After 6 weeks of cycling for 30 minutes 3 times a week, participants' tolerance for ischemic pain was significantly increased, says study author Matt Jones. And even if you don't have ischemic pain, there's still some good news: Past research has shown that aerobic exercise may also increase pressure pain tolerance. So while a twinge in your knee or achy back will still hurt, you should be able to tolerate them more easily.