Choosing Wisely® is an initiative from the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation that aims to promote conversations between physicians and patients by helping patients choose care that is:
Choosing Wisely has lists of recommendations from The American College of Physicians, The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Society for Vascular Medicine, and the North American Spine Society among 34 others about "The five things physicians and patients should questions" regarding that speciality.
The website also has 34 patient friendly resources on topics like when you need imaging and when it's a bad idea, what treatments are most effective, and what tests you should or should not get and why.
- Supported by evidence
- Not duplicative of other tests or procedures already received
- Free from harm
- Truly necessary
Choosing Wisely has lists of recommendations from The American College of Physicians, The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Society for Vascular Medicine, and the North American Spine Society among 34 others about "The five things physicians and patients should questions" regarding that speciality.
The website also has 34 patient friendly resources on topics like when you need imaging and when it's a bad idea, what treatments are most effective, and what tests you should or should not get and why.
I want to build my own lists for people suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain that would like to eliminate their pain for good, return to an active lifestyle and maximize their physical health.
Five things to avoid if you want to live a pain free & active life:
Five things to do if you want to live a pain free & active life:
Five things to avoid if you want to live a pain free & active life:
- Avoid treating your symptoms - Any treatment that focuses on your symptoms alone is never going to lead to long-term pain relief and can give you a false sense of wellness that can lead to more injury and pain.
- Avoid rest - Yes there are times when your body needs rest, but rest as a stand alone treatment is never as good as the appropriate amount of rest and active recovery. There are studies that show people who start loading their sprained ankle sooner get better faster, people suffering with osteoarthritis report less pain with regular exercise, and after any joint surgery active range of motion and movement speed recovery time.
- Avoid pushing through the pain - Pushing through the pain is never a good idea because pain is a message from your body that is trying to tell you that something is not working the way it is supposed to and continuing to push through the pain will only lead to more injury and disability.
- Avoid giving up - Giving up the painful activity (like golf, tennis, or running) or giving up on yourself (thinking you'll never get better or find a cure) is taking you further away from living a pain free and active life.
- Avoid blaming - Avoid blaming your age, genetics, an accident, past treatment or doctor for your pain. That will only lead to frustration, anger, or depression because you can't do anything about those things and blaming will leave you hopeless.
Five things to do if you want to live a pain free & active life:
- Believe you will get pain free - Trusting that there is an answer to your pain and that you will find it will allow you to continue searching until you find the answer.
- Remember to move - Keeping moving is one of the most important things to do if you want to be pain free. Whether you love to dance, run, garden, swim or play sports, it is important to move every day and in a variety of ways to keep your muscles, joints, heart and lungs healthy.
- Do your e-cise menu daily - Doing your e-cise menu daily is the best way to keep your posture aligned and body functioning at its best. Realigning your posture will decrease negative stress on your muscles, joints and nerves and allow your body to heal itself.
- Do the Egoscue Tower - Doing the Supine Groin Progressive in the Tower is one of the best ways to keep every joint aligned and every muscle balanced at its optimal length and tension. The Tower can play a key role in alleviating pain associated with: migraine headaches, degenerative joints, achilles tendonitis, rotator cuff injuries, and disc herniations.
- Have fun - Having fun and playing is what motivates children to move and all the movement they do daily is what keeps them flexible, strong, agile, and energetic. Following the example of children and finding a way to make movement and exercise fun and playful will keep us pain free and active for years to come.
Tell me what you think. What would you put on your list of things to avoid and things to do to live a pain free and active life? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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