There is a pervasive prescription drug advertisement on TV that starts by co-opting Newton’s laws by saying: “an object at rest tends to stay at rest. An object in motion tends to stay in motion.”
It’s one of those marketing moments of genius as we all nod and affirm with a hearty “I hear that!” even though the idea of agreeing with the giant drug companies sits uneasily in our psyche.
Let’s sift the chafe from the grain so we can digest a little better. The laws of motion are true. Thank you Big Pharma for reminding us with your elegant media spot. The chafe is that the particular drug being advertised is for pain management. A new study, however, shows it doesn’t always take a pharmaceutical to make you feel better.
Just two minutes of physical therapy exercises helped reduce pain and tenderness in the shoulders and neck of office workers studied by the National Research Center for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Physical therapy, yoga, pilates, traditional stretching and progressive resistance exercises that take you from inert to your natural, pain-free, full range of motion over time all equate to a potential lifelong cure and are far less expensive than medication.
We’re not saying you should only exercise for two minutes – good golly, no! We’re saying pain reduction happens for many when they invest a small amount of energy into prevention. All wins are good wins! If your goal is pain reduction you can achieve that with stretching and strengthen properly. You’ll still need your walks, your workouts, your hikes, bike, splashes, jumps, two-steps, and whatever else you love to do. We’re just pointing out another great moment in research that reaffirms the quick and amazing healing power of moving more.
Check out a cool “move more” core exercise from Olga to keep you PT strong (instructions below).
You in Your Workplace
What if you were to do a campaign around saving “out-of-pocket” costs for your employees? Post up a picture of the advertisement above and the cost of the drug with the side effects listed. Then next to that, post up a picture of a person doing a physical therapy exercise and the cost of that in the long run (not to mention the lack of side effects).
Incidentally, according to our brief research, a 30-day supply of prescription non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is $140-$300. A few visits to a physical therapist for evaluation, a healing plan and follow-up cost roughly the same ($75-80 per visit). One treatment is a pill that can cause liver, stomach and heart complications. The other is an investment in a drug-free, pain-free life but requires daily PT exercises for several weeks. It’s work and people have to want it. Help them see the value.
See you on the pain-free PATH Ahead!
Olga’s Figure-Eight Ab Scissors
Using a small ball or a medicine ball (4-6 lbs), keep your abs tight and your back flat. Lean back slightly at the hips and lift one leg off the ground. Circle the ball between and around your raised leg, then lower that leg and lift the other and circle that one. Move in a figure eight around the two legs as you raise and lower them. Work up to where you don’t have to touch either leg to the floor and you can circle the ball for 30-90 seconds.