Conservative Pain Management: Building Blocks with the MARS Method
When tackling chronic pain, the foundation of lasting change starts with the core lifestyle domains that shape your experience every day. This is the focus of the MARS Method (Movement, Awareness & Agency, Recovery, Stress) —a structured approach that helps patients identify and strengthen the essential elements influencing their well-being, so they can get the most from any medical or psychological intervention. Here’s how each domain fits into true conservative pain management.
Movement
Staying active within your abilities is a cornerstone of conservative pain management. Movement doesn’t mean punishing workouts or ignoring limits—it means finding gentle, regular patterns that support your body’s healing. For some, this is a walk around the block or stretching; for others, it’s a structured exercise plan. The key is consistency, pacing, and adapting to your capacity each day. When movement is tailored to your needs and done regularly, it supports physical function, prevents deconditioning, and brings confidence back into your life.
Movement should also ideally address stability or compensatory movement patterns. The goal is not to push but to build consistency and decrease drivers of pain from inhibition, weakness and spasming:
Exercise guidelines: Try for at least 15-30 minutes of movement—this could be walking, gentle stretching, swimming, or yoga. If your pain makes movement tough, break it up – 3-5 minute sessions throughout the day that can work as movement breaks as well. Avoid total inactivity; even minimal physical activity (changing position, short walks to get water, light housework) counts and supports circulation and function
Awareness & Agency
Perhaps the most overlooked piece is awareness: knowing your body’s signals, understanding your triggers, and developing insight into what helps and hurts. This is about mental agency—realizing that, while limits exist, your ongoing choices matter big time. When you are aware and informed, you’re less likely to feel helpless when difficulties arise. The MARS Method encourages you to track progress, acknowledge setbacks without judgment, and build problem-solving skills so you can adapt in any situation. Being aware leads directly to reclaiming your sense of control and combatting hopelessness.
Awareness means knowing your triggers, strengths, and limitations:
Keep a pain and activity journal—track what helps and what hurts.
Rate your pain once per day and note what you were doing.
Build self-advocacy: Practice saying “no” to obligations that worsen pain, and “yes” to support and things that recharge you.
Reclaim your agency by making small daily choices in each domain. Progress is about self-direction, not perfection. Notice patterns and gently course-correct
Recovery
Sleep & Pacing
Sleep isn’t just downtime—it's repair time. Quality sleep and intentional recovery are critical for managing pain sensitivity and boosting physical resilience. Without restful sleep, almost every other area of your treatment can suffer—your body remains in a state of stress, you’re more vulnerable to flare-ups, and even medications become less effective. Addressing sleep means paying attention to routines, creating restful environments, and prioritizing recovery activities. Sleep hygiene and circadian rhythm can be a catalyst for progress, and should never be pushed aside as just “optional”.
Sleep is the ultimate reset button. For chronic pain, aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night. If you struggle, prioritize consistency. “Anchoring your sleep/wake time is crucial - go to bed and wake up at the same time daily, avoid screens for at least 30 minutes before bed, and keep your bedroom cool and dark. Napping is fine but keep it under 30 minutes and before 2pm ideally. If sleep is difficult because of pain, discuss options like sleep hygiene strategies or gentle nighttime stretches and other strategies to downregulate with your provider. Remember, recovery isn’t just sleep—incorporate short periods of rest throughout your week, especially after physically demanding days helps manage your energy overall.
Nutrition
What you feed your body either supports or undermines your recovery. Poor nutrition—skipping meals, relying on processed foods, or ignoring hydration—can amplify inflammation and accentuate pain. The MARS Method stresses balanced, consistent eating patterns, focusing on foods that reduce inflammation and stabilize energy. You don’t have to follow fad diets or perfect regimens; it’s about building sustainable habits and noting how certain foods make you feel, so nutrition becomes a source of support rather than stress.
Your body’s ability to heal and buffer pain is built on solid nutrition. Shoot for balanced meals, including:
Protein: Try for at least 20-30g per meal that can be about a palm-sized portion of lean meat, eggs, beans, or tofu).
Hydration: Drink at least half your bodyweight in ounces per day—more if you’re sweating more, in a warm environment, dealing with POTS etc. Dehydration can ramp up pain.
Fiber: Include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains daily to support gut health and reduce inflammation. Focus on colorful foods aiming for 3–5 servings of vegetables and 2–3 servings of fruit most days. Avoid highly processed or sugary foods—they can trigger inflammation and worsen energy crashes. You can also supplement fiber if it is challenging to get enough ruffage in due to digestive issue.
Stress & Psychological Resilience
Stress is unavoidable, but unchecked stress makes pain harder to manage and much more complex. Chronic pain isn’t just physical—it’s emotional and psychological. You can’t outsource your agency; learning to identify stress triggers, building coping strategies, and finding moments of calm are all crucial skills.
Mindfulness practices, relaxation techniques, and even a few deep breaths throughout the day can help build resilience, ground you during setbacks and are a form of pacing to make sure you have pressure release valves and built in breaks so stressors don’t accumulate. Managing stress means more than just “feeling better”—it can shift your pain experience and empower you to face challenges head-on.
Pain amplifies when stress runs high and hope runs low, so lessen mental stress where you can by:
Practicing mindfulness or meditation in even 5-10 minute segments
Scheduling “stress breaks”—whether it’s deep-breathing exercises, journaling, or closing your eyes for a short reset.
Building a support network to connect with a friend weekly or join a community online or in-person.
If emotional overwhelm is frequent, consider talking with a mental health specialist. You cannot outsource this part, but you can always get help managing it
Our Takeaway for You
Each domain— movement, awareness/agency, recovery (sleep and nutrition), and stress —forms the scaffolding for everything else you do to manage pain. They’re not just boxes to check off; they work together, increasing the effectiveness of medications, medical procedures, and psychological support. By tending to these areas with consistency and intention, you lay the groundwork for genuine progress and resilience—even on the tough days.
The most important piece of conservative pain management is taking ownership: when you address sleep, nutrition, stress, movement, and awareness, you lay the real foundation for improvement and increasing capacity. That’s the real power of conservative pain management.
For more insight and practical advice, tune in to episode 19 of It’s Not in Your Head Podcast.