Dr. Vijay Vad is a sports medicine specialist at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery who regularly works with professional golfers and tennis players. He believes in the mind-body connection and regularly prescribes yoga exercises and other alternative strategies for his patients.
According to a story in the New York Times, Vad said there are some self-help things people can do, such as exercise, rather than relying on pain medicine.
With pain, there can be a cycle of taking medicine that may affect REM sleep, making a person tired and lacking the desire to exercise.
According to Vad, if a person can get through the first week or two of extra pain by doing the proper exercise, like 30 minutes of walking daily, that’s going to have an impact long term.
Sometimes, he said, people give up on simple walking, but it can have a huge impact .
The Patient Life 