4 Simple Ways Women Can Manage Chronic Pain, From A Physical Therapist

Chronic pain is, well, a pain—and one that disproportionately affects women, at that. It’s estimated that over 50 million people deal with chronic pain in the United States every year, and over half of those cases1 are women.

Not only that, but over 23 million people in the States have an autoimmune condition, with a whopping 80% being women2, further contributing to the chronic pain problem. (Think rheumatoid arthritis, polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS, endometriosis, fibromyalgia…the list goes on.)

Sometimes, the best workout is just going back to basics and taking a nice brisk walk. According to Malek, vigorous aerobic exercise can be especially beneficial if you’re dealing with PCOS or fibromyalgia.

In fact, one recent study3 published in the journal Healthcare found that performing aerobic exercise at a low-to-moderate intensity of 50–60% of the maximum heart rate has an analgesic (AKA pain relieving) effect on chronic pain.

In the case of PCOS, which can result in impaired glucose tolerance4, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, aerobics help with these risks as well. Malek tells mindbodygreen that vigorous aerobic exercise, resistance training, and yoga “have all been found to be promising with insulin sensitivity and androgen levels, with aerobic exercise having the strongest evidence.”

And the nice thing about aerobic exercise, of course, is it can look like walking, running, cycling, rowing, or swimming. If you’re wondering exactly how much you should be doing, Malek adds that you should aim for at least three days per week for 30 min or more.

On those days when you’re just not up for lifting weights or going for a run, gentle, mind-body exercises are a great option to lean on. And according to Malek, they might even help you with chronic pain symptoms.

As she tells mindbodygreen, things like yoga, Tai Chi, or QiGong are excellent for chronic pain, especially related to PCOS, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. “Mind-body exercises are exercises that focus on controlled breathing, mental focus, and movement,” Malek adds.

Based on what the research says, it appears that these mind-body exercises may help lower inflammatory markers—which, of course, contribute to pain.

Resistance training is a great way to keep your muscles strong, which in turn helps support your joints. 

It might seem counterintuitive to bear weight if you’re dealing with pain, but research7 shows that strong muscles can actually help reduce the amount of stress on cartilage, which in turn helps to protect joints.“Activities that maintain flexibility, muscle strength, and coordination protect the cartilaginous surfaces and help to maintain joint function in joints that have already been injured and in which arthritic changes have developed or are developing,” the study authors write.

And as aforementioned by Malek, resistance training (i.e. calisthenic exercises like squats, or weight lifting) may be especially helpful for those with managing chronic pain from PCOS. 

Plus, resistance exercises increase bone mass and density, helping to protect against osteoporosis8 (a disease that causes bones to become fragile and more likely to break), which just happens to disproportionately affect women, too.

Of course, the great thing about resistance training is you don’t always need equipment. Moves like planks, lunges, or burpees just require you and your body—no gym necessary.

Any time we’re talking about chronic pain, mobility has to be a part of the conversation—and by that, we mean being able to move your joints through their full range of motion with ease. 

So, Malek tells mindbodygreen that working mobility drills into your routine is a great idea.

Everyone—but especially if you have endometriosis—can benefit from breathing exercises in addition to hip mobility and pelvic floor exercises. “[They] may be a good option to reduce pain and tension, [and] heating pads and warm baths may also be of use,” Malek adds on the topic of endometriosis.

Even if you don’t have any of the conditions listed here, all of us benefit from a well-rounded movement routine. As Malek notes, any exercise is better than no exercise at all.

From fibromyalgia, to RA, to your everyday pains from aging, it is possible to get relief. Malek suggests starting with a combined program of 15-20 minutes of aerobic exercise plus 15-20 min of resistance training, at least three times per week.