Slowmetrics - how slowing down can speed up progress

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Note: The following describes broad principle. When addressing a condition like EDS or HSD, seek an evaluation by a qualified practitioner to make sure what you're doing is right for you.

Can we use movement to decrease pain?
Yes, it’s possible!


If you have chronic pain 1) due to a hypermobility-related condition you probably have your assortment of favorite passive go-to’s: a masseuse, a heating pad, a TENS unit etc. What I’d like to share with you today is how (just the right kind of, correctly performed) movement can help, and why it’s even better than passive interventions.


Let’s first establish that chronic pain can have both a physical (tissue -related) and brain-related component. This makes sense, as the brain is the (only) place where pain happens. Out in the body, where it feels like pain is happening, all you have are signals, which are being sent to the brain. This could eg be a signal from a muscle that is too tight, cutting off its own blood circulation and therefore not receiving enough oxygen. This is not good for the muscle, so it signals distress to the brain, the command center of the body. 


Signals from the body don’t become pain until they reach the brain, and the brain decides that this particular signal is a sign of danger, and that this should be reported to us through pain.


When we are experiencing pain, we often have irritated tissue, a scared brain busy signaling about this to us through pain, and then more pain-generating behavior in the body, e.g. muscle bracing. A vicious cycle.


But this cycle can be turned into a “virtuous cycle”, and the very movement you were afraid of can help! Here’s how:
Instead of moving at a normal pace, pushing your self with a mind half in, half out of the body (we tend to tune out of the body when it hurts, and this, too, makes the pain worse), do this:
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Slowmetrics 2) movement principles:

• Choose any of type movement you’re used to, whether regular strengthening exercises, therapeutic exercises etc. 3))
• Start with as relaxed a mindset as possible. Remind yourself that you are going to perform safe, pain free movement while tuning in to your body.
• Move veeeery slowly (think slow-mo) with intention, tuning in to your body, its joints and muscles.
• Only move within a range that you can control fully —feeling stable and in control. Make the movement as small as needed, even if it is tiny.
• Do not move into a range where pain is felt.
• As your body allows a greater range of pain free motion, you can expand your range, e.g. move deeper, turn farther.
• Using music that sets the mood and tempo can be helpful.
• Only work for as long as you can control your movements and keep them pain free.

This could look e.g. like a shallow squat, split squat or even just standing and shifting your weight from side to side, or raising your arms by your sides, using your body consciously and correctly, instead of tightening and bracing in a protective pattern. Any movement pattern works, as long as it is pain free, controlled, correct and doesn’t feel scary. (Note that you do need to know what the correct movement form is in order to be able to avoid (potentially painful) mistakes.)


The reason this works is manyfold. When we stay tuned in to the body, when we are performing controlled pain free movements, the brain relaxes as none of this signals danger. 


When the brain doesn’t interpret what’s happening  as threatening it doesn’t need to create painful sensations to try to get us to stop what we’re doing. 


Opposite muscles inhibit one another, so moving back and forth starts to normalize muscle tone, while drawing blood to tissues, easing painful lack of oxygen. Once we feel more grounded in the body we will move more correctly, decreasing the imprecise movement (typical of hypermobility) that irritates tissues. As our brain experiences pain free, safe and controlled movement, it starts to trust the body and movement, instead of feeling the need to protect us through pain.


But this is just for pain relief, right? What about wanting to get stronger? 


The great thing about Slowmetrics is that you actually get both stronger and more stable doing it, while also feeling calmer and feeling less pain! Moving slowly means that contracting your muscles for longer, challenging them more, even without weights. It’s not just a way to calm the hypermobile nervous system, which tends to stay in fight or flight, or a way to decrease pain — as advertised — but it also helps us grow stronger and more stable. That’s what I call a win-win-win! Or win-win-win-win, but who’s counting? (You don’t need to count reps either, just listen to your body) 


Questions or comments? You know where to find me!


1) Chronic pain doesn’t mean “here to stay, permanent, will never heal” kind of pain. It is defined as pain that has been present for three months or more.
2) I call this type of movement Slowmetrics, a mash-up of “slow” and isometrics, the latter meaning muscle contraction without movement.
 3) You could also use walking, but since it’s hard to walk slowly enough, it’s better to use exercises where you’re staying more or less in place.

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