How to Get Out of Pain

Pain can be frustrating and debilitating. It can stop you from doing what you love, limit your independence, and impact your quality of life.

This guide outlines the same advice I give to my patients to help them move better and manage their pain effectively.

The Goal: Move More (Safely)

If you’re dealing with pain, the main goal is movement. Movement is necessary to:

✅ Reduce pain
✅ Decrease swelling
✅ Promote healing
✅ Prevent loss of mobility

But movement has to be done the right way to avoid making things worse. Here’s how I guide my patients through it safely.

1. Figure Out Which Movements Cause Pain

Not all movement is helpful—some movements can aggravate pain, while others help relieve it. Without a proper diagnosis and rehab plan, it’s best to stay on the cautious side. 

What I Tell My Patients:

  • Move as much as you can throughout the day without causing pain. 

  • If a movement makes your pain immediately worse or makes it worse within the next 24 hours, modify or avoid that movement. 

Note: The Move More Minute newsletter provides weekly guidance to help you test your movement and improve it safely. 

2. Address the Soft Tissue

One of the most common and easiest-to-fix causes of pain is trigger points and soft tissue restrictions.

How My Patients Do This at Home:

  • I tell them to use a foam roller, lacrosse ball, or similar firm object to apply deep, consistent pressure to the affected muscles.

  • I tell them to find a tender area ("hurts good") near the pain and they pin it (don’t roll) for ~30 seconds or until the pain decreases.

  • If the pain doesn’t improve after 30 seconds, they move to another spot.

  • I have them repeat this ~4 times per muscle each day. 

Most patients will typically notice some relief after doing this daily for ~2 weeks.

🚨 Caution: I tell my patients to keep the intensity at ~3/10 and pay attention to how their pain responds. If pain worsens later that day or within 24 hours, I have them stop and tell me. It may be irritating another structure. 

Note: Each Move More Minute issue covers how to do soft tissue work for a different muscle, helping you work through pain systematically.

3. Improve Mobility & Stability — In the Right Places

Another cause of pain is from restricted mobility or lack of control (stability)—especially in the joints above or below the painful area.

What I Tell My Patients:

  • To fully address pain, you need to restore both mobility (how much a joint can move) and stability (how much control you have over that movement) of the joint in question and the joints above and below it.

    • For example, if your knee hurts, improving the mobility and stability of the knee, ankle, and hip can help keep the pain away.

Note: The Move More Minute teaches you how to assess and improve this, one area at a time.

4. Ice vs. Heat — When to Use Each

There’s a lot of conflicting advice on this, but here’s what I’ve seen work best in my practice—and what newer research supports:

What I Recommend to My Patients:

  • The goal is always movement—because movement clears swelling, delivers nutrients to injured tissues, and promotes healing.

  • Heat encourages movement, but if swelling becomes excessive, ice may help.

If pain is stopping the patient from moving, I generally recommend 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off:
 ✅ Ice: If swelling is limiting movement or for spine-related pain (like disc herniations).
✅ Heat: For almost everything else (stiffness, muscle tightness, general aches).

⚠️ I don’t recommend ice or heat if my patients have numbness, cancer, or infections, as these conditions can worsen with temperature changes.

The main goal: Use whichever relieves pain so you can move more.

5. Supplements That May Support Pain Relief

Disclaimer: Always check with your doctor before adding supplements to your routine, especially if you have medical conditions, take medications, or are pregnant/nursing.

While not a replacement for movement, supplements may support pain management and healing. These are some of the options I discuss with my patients. They typically will use these while in pain and can see benefits in as little as 1 day. 

1. Omega-3s (for Inflammation & Joint Health)

✅ Helps with: Chronic inflammation, joint pain, arthritis, muscle recovery.
🔹 Dosage: 1,000-3,000 mg of EPA & DHA per day.
🔹 Food Sources: Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel), flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts.

2. Curcumin (Turmeric) – Natural Anti-Inflammatory

✅ Helps with: Reducing inflammation and pain (comparable to ibuprofen).
🔹 Dosage: 500-1,500 mg per day, ideally with black pepper extract (piperine) for absorption.
🔹 Food Sources: Turmeric root, turmeric powder (best paired with fat + black pepper).

3. Collagen + Vitamin C (for Tissue Repair)

✅ Helps with: Tendon, ligament, and cartilage healing (eg: tendonitis, sprains/strains, joint injuries, etc.)
🔹 Dosage: 10-15g collagen peptides + 500 mg Vitamin C daily.
🔹 Food Sources: Bone broth, chicken skin, fish skin, egg whites, oranges, bell peppers, kiwis.

4. Magnesium (for Muscle Relaxation & Nerve Health)

✅ Helps with: Muscle tension, cramps, nerve health.
🔹 Dosage: 300-400 mg per day (glycinate or citrate form for better absorption).
🔹 Food Sources: Pumpkin seeds, spinach, almonds, dark chocolate, avocado, bananas.

You don’t need to buy supplements to deal with your pain, but if you want to get the ones I trust and recommend to my patients, you can find them here:
https://us.fullscript.com/plans/movemoreminute-pain-relief 

6. When to See a Professional

Some pain can be managed with self-care, but certain cases require professional evaluation.

I recommend my patients reach out to me (or another healthcare provider) if they have:

  • Pain that doesn’t improve after 2 weeks of self care. 

  • Pain that interferes with sleep, daily activities, or exercise.

  • Numbness, tingling, or weakness.

  • A history of trauma, surgery, or chronic conditions affecting the area.

**If you experience severe weakness, loss of bowel/bladder control, or sudden, unexplained pain/swelling, these could be a sign of a medical emergency. Seek medical attention ASAP.

Need More Help? Here’s What I Can Do

I designed this guide to give you the same advice I share with my patients—but if you need more personalized support, here are a few ways I can help:

  • 1-on-1 Virtual or In-Person Consults – If you're dealing with pain that won’t go away, I can assess your movement, pinpoint the root cause, and give you a step-by-step rehab plan. Book here → https://m2chiropractic.janeapp.com/#/staff_member/1 

  • Move More Minute Newsletter – Every week, I send out a breakdown of movement assessments, self-treatment techniques, and exercises to help you stay pain-free. Subscribe for free here → https://movemoreminute.com/subscribe 

  • Online Courses – I’m building courses to help you overcome specific problems (low back pain, golfer’s elbow, knee pain, etc.). If you’re interested, reply to any of my emails and tell me what you want!

Not sure where to start? Reply to any of my emails or email me at [email protected] and I’ll help you figure out your next step.

Pain doesn’t have to control your life. I’m here to help you move better, feel better, and get back to doing what you love. 

Talk soon,

Dr. Matt Moreno, D.C., C.C.S.P.®
The Move More Minute