When pain has lasted a long time, it is normal to worry that movement will make things worse. But for many people, safe, steady movement is one of the most helpful tools for feeling more capable again. Exercise can help by building strength and stamina, improving sleep, easing stress, and reducing how much pain interrupts your day.1 2
Chronic pain is not always a sign of ongoing damage. Over time, the nervous system can become more sensitive and protective, which can make everyday movement feel more difficult than it should. Gradual, confidence-building activity helps teach your system that movement can be safe again.1 3
Effective exercises for chronic pain
Not every exercise is right for every person. If a movement causes sharp pain or new symptoms, stop and consult a medical provider.
1. Pacing walk
Why it helps: Helps you rebuild tolerance for daily activity without triggering the “boom and bust” cycle.1 2
How to do it: Start with a time that feels very doable, even 3 to 5 minutes. Walk at an easy pace where you can still talk. Repeat most days, then add 1 to 2 minutes every few sessions if your symptoms stay manageable.
2. Sit to stand
Why it helps: Helps build leg strength for everyday tasks like getting up from a chair and climbing stairs.2
How to do it: Sit in a sturdy chair. Lean forward slightly, press through your feet, stand up, then sit down slowly. Do 6 to 10 reps, rest, then repeat 1 more set if it feels okay.
3. Wall push-up
Why it helps: Helps build upper-body strength with low strain, which supports daily pushing and reaching.2
How to do it: Stand facing a wall, hands on the wall at shoulder height. Bend your elbows and bring your chest toward the wall, then push back. Keep your body in a straight line. Try 8 to 12 reps.
4. Bird Dog
Why it helps: Helps improve trunk and hip control, and builds confidence with gentle full-body coordination.1 2
How to do it: Start on hands and knees. Tighten your belly gently, then slide one leg back (keep toes on the floor) or lift the leg only a little. If that feels okay, reach the opposite arm forward. Hold 2 to 3 seconds, switch sides. Do 5 to 8 reps each side.
How it helps: Helps calm your nervous system and can reduce stress-related flare patterns.1 3
How to do it: Lie on your back or sit comfortably. Place a hand on your belly. Breathe in slowly through your nose and feel your belly rise, then breathe out longer than you breathed in. Repeat for 1 to 3 minutes.
2. Knees-to-chest
How it helps: Helps ease stiffness in the low back and hips when you feel tight after sitting.2
How to do it: Lie on your back. Bring one knee toward your chest until you feel a gentle stretch, not pain. Hold 10 to 20 seconds, then switch sides. Repeat 2 to 3 times.
3. Chest opener at a wall
How it helps: Helps reduce upper-body tightness that can build up with guarding and stress.2
How to do it: Standing next to a wall, place your hand and elbow against the wall at shoulder height, with your fingers pointing backwards. Then rotate your body to the other side until you feel the muscles stretching. Hold 10 to 20 seconds. Switch sides and repeat 2 times.
4. Hip flexor stretch
How it helps: Helps with hip stiffness that can make walking and standing feel harder.2
How to do it: Kneel on one knee (or do a standing version with one foot behind you). Gently tuck your pelvis under and shift forward slightly until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip. Hold 10 to 20 seconds, switch sides, repeat 2 times.
Did you know?
Exercise and physical activity can help chronic pain even when pain does not go away right away. Validated research demonstrates that physical activity and exercise programs lead to overall improvements in pain and function for many chronic pain conditions, with generally low risk when progressed safely.2
Exercises to avoid with chronic pain
These are guidelines, not strict rules. The goal is to choose a movement that feels tolerable and helps you build trust in your body.
1. “All-out” workouts on good days
Doing a lot when you feel better, then crashing for days, can keep the cycle going. Pacing and gradual progress tend to work better over time.1
2. Pushing through sharp pain or new symptoms
A little discomfort can be normal when you are rebuilding, but sharp pain, spreading pain, or new numbness are signs to stop and adjust.1
3. Long, intense stretching into pain
Gentle stretching can help, but forcing range can increase guarding and flare-ups. Aim for mild tension and steady breathing.1
4. High-impact or heavy lifting during a flare
When symptoms are spiking, choose lighter, simpler options (walking, easy strength, gentle mobility) and build back up as things settle. 1 2
Clinical insight
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance for chronic primary pain emphasizes active care first. That includes education, staying physically active, exercise, and psychological therapies that build coping skills and confidence, rather than relying on passive treatments or long-term medication approaches with limited benefit.1
NICE. Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s: assessment of all chronic pain and management of chronic primary pain (NG193). 2021.https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG193
2
Geneen LJ, Moore RA, Clarke C, Martin D, Colvin LA, Smith BH. Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011279.pub3
3
Raja SN, Carr DB, Cohen M, et al. The revised International Association for the Study of Pain definition of pain: concepts, challenges, and compromises. Pain. 2020. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001939
