In the last newsletters we have looked at the need for regular exercise from different angles. And talked about how important it is to use summer holidays for exercise and sports in nature.

But there are situations in life when exercise seems impossible: injuries, illnesses, acute pain. What can or should you do in such situations? Give up exercise? Switch to other types of movement?

Painful movement restrictions are common

Every day, people come to us who are restricted in their ability to move due to a wide variety of causes. Acute low back pain, herniated discs, joint pain, injuries, paralysis, surgical interventions and inflammations can be the cause of restricted movement. For many people, this is a reason not to move. Yet it is becoming increasingly clear in medicine how important movement is for all healing processes.

Value of exercise

Exercise causes improved blood circulation, oxygen supply and nutrition of the body tissues. When we stop moving, the metabolic waste products that constantly accumulate in every cell of the body are no longer adequately disposed of. This leads to the accumulation in the tissues of not only the toxins that are produced by a disease. The body's daily waste products also accumulate. This blocks the body's self-healing processes. The recovery process is slowed down or prevented.

A little movement is always possible

We must be aware that the whole body is never immobile when we are ill or injured. Some part of the body can always be moved. And it is precisely this that has a positive effect on the recovery process of all other parts of the body. Of course, it takes a lot of motivation to move just when everything hurts or is stiff. Many people do not have this motivation and surrender to physical inactivity when they are ill or in pain. It is precisely this that further delays the healing process.

Example of high motivation

The story of the current management trainer Boris Grundl is touching. He was a top athlete until he suffered a high paraplegia after an unfortunate fall, which only allowed movement in his fingers. After initial complete despair, he began to train exactly those muscles that he could still move. He developed complete independence despite his severe impairment, competed in disability competitions and developed a career as a very successful speaker and coach.

Looking out for new opportunities

This story shows that training is possible even with the greatest impairment. Many people are fixated on certain types of exercise or sports and believe they can no longer do anything if their usual activities are (temporarily) not possible. With any injury or illness, it is important to take care of the affected body parts. This means: in the case of a broken leg, spare the injured leg; in the case of a slipped disc, spare the corresponding region of the back. This concerns a certain percentage of the muscles that are able to move, which should remain inactive. But all other regions of the body can and should be moved every day. If, for example, the legs need to be spared, the arms should be exercised regularly and intensively.

Specialist advice important

To find out which parts of the body can be moved without harming the affected region, it is useful to consult a doctor or experienced physiotherapist. After a long period of forced inactivity, it is especially important to start moving gently and carefully. Short exercise sessions several times a day are useful for this purpose.

Ayurvedic remedies for musculoskeletal pain

The most important medicinal plants in the treatment of pain are frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense has an anti-inflammatory and decongestant effect, while myrrh also has an analgesic effect. The preparations Ayurflex (MA572) and MA1673 contain frankincense and myrrh and are particularly recommended for aftercare following operations and injuries.

For mobilisation and local treatment of painful regions or injuries, the Pirant balm and the massage oil MA628 are suitable.
For rehabilitation after accidents and injuries, our cleansing cures are particularly suitable. Choose between the simple herbal purification at home, one of our webinars or a particularly effective stationary Pancha Karma cure.

To restore normal mobility, we recommend our yoga offer.