iPain Living Magazine — 35
As the condition can be set off
even by a light tough (a clinical
feature called allodynia),
it’s important for sufferers to
wear loose, light fitting clothing.
One feature women struggle
with is loose-fitting, nonconstrictive
underwear including
bras.
Loose fitting clothing is also
recommended for people with
IBS where bloating can cause
serious issues. If clothing cuts
too tightly into the midriff
then it can make this more
painful and could make an
flare worse. Loose clothing
around the tummy area will
allow for more changes in the
gut and will reduce bloating
pain.
Texture-Based
Pain and
Discomfort
A lesser problem with clothing
for sufferers of fibromyalgia,
is texture-based pain and discomfort.
This is most widely
seen among people on the autism
spectrum. This cluster of
related symptoms and syndromes
includes hypersensitivity
to sights, sounds, smells,
and textures which can manifest
themselves as pain.
As a result of this issue, clothing
texture is vitally important.
The exact texture issue varies
from person to person as ASD
(Autism Spectrum Disorder) is
highly individualized. For
those with neuropathy conditions,
the type of fabric is also
important though for slightly
different reasons.
Both people on the spectrum
and those with neuropathy,
soft natural fabrics are often
best. For example, cotton is
not only renewable and natural,
but is great for sensitive
skin. Consider these more natural
fabrics for socks, pantyhose,
underwear, bras, and so
on.
Clothing Aiding
Posture-Related
Pain
Not all pain is helped by loose
fitting clothing or improved
textures. For posture and injury
related pain, other solutions
are required. An example
would be competitive tennis
player Joan Weissman who
still plays in her 70s, but suffers
from chronic rotator cuff
and bicep pain.
The solution for Weissman
was a custom-made posture
shirt which featured bands that
gently pulled her shoulders
back and aligned her spine into
a normal posture. It took
only a few weeks for the gear
to reduce her long-term pain
and make playing tennis again
possible. This proves that for
some kinds of pain, it is possible
to design clothing which
will reduce pain and potentially
solve the issue’s cause.
Talk to your physician and
health experts about your long
-term pain. Some problems
cannot be solved by making
clothing changes, but some
can. It is recommended to always
look at lifestyle changes
from diet to exercise to sleeping
patterns, so we should not
forget what we wear too.
Changing your fashion might
just make your chronic pain a
little easier to manage.