According to a study from the Centers for Disease Control in 2021, “ an estimated 51.6 million U.S. adults (20.9%) experienced chronic pain, and 17.1 million (6.9%) experienced high-impact chronic pain.” Searching for answers to the chronic pain epidemic led author David Starbuck Smith to write his book “Align, Feel, Heal” which performs a deep dive into chronic pain and how to best manage it.
Smith called into the KOAL newsroom to discuss this book as well as provide some tips for the public on how to manage and avoid chronic pain.
One of the ways Smith suggests to counteract this pain is through maintaining flexibility. “Pain sets in for several different reasons, which I talk about in my book. But one of the big things that happens to our bodies, not just as we age, but as we move less, is we begin to get tight. Our bodies get tight. Our joints start to lock down a little bit. And as we get more and more tight, we lose joint range of motion … And anytime you lose range of motion in any joint, be it an ankle, a knee, a hip, your spine, or your shoulder, then you begin to use some muscles more than others. And that predisposes them more to injury. But the other part of it is that muscles don’t just move bones. They also redistribute force through our bodies and the joint.”
In conjunction with this, Smith also encourages a varied workout structure,” We go to the gym and we see people doing exercises or routines that may not be in the best form. For example, you do a squat and the knees collapse in or one foot is turned out more than the other. The thing is that our bodies always run to our strongest point. So in order to lift a weight or do something difficult, then our bodies will find a way to do it. And it doesn’t always mean it’ll do it in the best and most balanced way. So what happens is we take our imbalanced bodies to the weight room or an activity, and as we add demand in the form of just say running or weightlifting, then we start to reinforce the imbalances that we already show up with. And that’s one of the big problems about weightlifting sometimes and strength training is that you’re simply strengthening the imbalance.”
As for the solution to this, Smith explained,” So the key to lifting weights and the key to staying healthy, to staying balanced is to vary your weight routines … I tell the people I work with to set the base of being flexible first, get the range of motion in your joints to where they need to be, and then go strengthen them up. And always remember that if they start to get tight, go back to the baseline, restore motion, then get back to strength.”
The final tip Smith provided is one some may see as unconventional: Keeping emotional and Stress levels in check. “ not everyone thinks of their emotional state as having anything to do with the pain they’re in. And yet in my book, Align, Feel, Heal, I talk a lot about and give specific case studies on clients that I work with over the years that there’s a direct correlation between their stress levels and not just stress, but the emotional pain that they’re carrying and worry and anxiety and depression and sadness and grief and so on. That is directly correlated to their pain.”
To fix this accumulation of stress that leads to pain, Smith suggests,” One of the techniques I like to use, is not just meditation but also breathing to reduce stress. And then beyond that, of course, managing the things in your life that you need to manage to find happiness. Because the best cure for pain, in general, is to be happy and to find a way to eliminate the things in your life and to create the things in your life that will foster that more and more.”
In closing, Smith shared,” Always pay attention to your body. Pay attention, connect with yourself, connect with your body. And as you stay connected, you’re able to respond, whether that’s to reduce stress or improve your health. But as long as you’re not looking for someone else to fix you, if you’re looking within and you’re willing to take responsibility and do what it takes, then the chances are you will find a solution.
“Align, Feel, Heal” by David Starbuck Smith is available on Amazon, his website and wherever books are sold.