Have you ever noticed a connection between the clothes you wear and your pain levels on a given day? Do heavy coats or tight shirts affect your posture and increase pain? Maybe tighter pants make it hard to sit right, or a skirt affects your stride, causing the pain to increase. It might be helpful for you to take notice of the how your wardrobe affects your pain.
Tip: Dress for the occasion.
I don't mean that you have to give up on looking fashionable if you want to be comfortable; you don't need to give up jeans for sweats. All I'm saying is that if your clothes affect your pain levels, you can think ahead based on your plans for the day, and dress accordingly. You are a human being, and you can think through a problem and find a helpful solution.
My Experience: I've noticed a few connections between my clothing and my pain levels. For example, if I wear a heavy coat while shopping, I'm done for. Searing pain begins to afflict my upper back within just a few minutes. I end up being so distracted by the pain that I flee the store, vowing to only shop online from that day forward. Carrying a purse has a similar effect. So, I've learned to leave my coat in the car, even on cold days, and carry my wallet in the pocket of my jeans when I shop. That eliminates both the coat and the purse and generally means I have more stamina to pay attention to what I'm looking at and to shop wisely, rather than making regrettable purchases just to get out of the store quickly.
Shoes are another important piece of this puzzle. If you have chronic pain problems, you have probably noticed that sensible, comfortable shoes make a big difference. If I am attending a somewhat fancy event, I'll still try to wear the most comfortable, supportive shoes I can pull off for the occasion.
In general, I try to wear long shirts that are somewhat loose fitting around the middle. I'm not talking about baggy clothes, just slightly loose. If a shirt is too short - meaning that when I sit or stoop or stretch it shows skin - I'm too self-conscious to move comfortably. If it is too tight, it restricts my movement a little. But if it's just the right length, and just the right looseness, I can unselfconsciously sit, stand, stoop, stretch, reach, etc in movements that are natural for my body. This is especially helpful if I need to stretch or reposition myself in order to ameliorate pain episodes.
So think this through. You may never have noticed a connection between your clothes and your pain. Maybe it's time to start paying attention to this to see if it can help you lessen your pain problem, even just a little.
Disclaimer: The Pain Management Tips in this blog are merely ideas and observations from my personal experience of chronic pain and pain management. I hope my ideas and experience can help you, but I'm not an expert, and really I'm in no position to be giving advice. Talk to a doctor or pain psychologist for more trustworthy input.
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