Think of the last time you noticed pain without a definitive cause. How did you care for it? Did you seek treatment, or did you wait until the injury caused issues with range of motion, strength and ultimately your performance?
Developing a chronic injury is like being thrust into a game of pickle you don’t want to play. It’s a frustrating back and forth between wanting to push through, but ultimately being bound by your injury’s limits. And if you’ve ever developed an injury like tendinitis, impingement or bursitis, then you’ve experienced both the nagging pain and long term treatment protocols required to get back to 100% function.
These types of injuries are often the result of over-training poor movement patterns across an extended period of time. Your body is designed to be strong, fast and efficient both as a whole and as individual body parts. The intersections between bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments, or joints, have a huge capacity for movement and allow us to run, jump, throw and lift. And at those critical junctions, mobility becomes the foundation for strong and healthy movement.
The body, however, will always search for a way around the problem and compensate in other areas to maintain movement and strength for as long as possible. Pain then becomes your indicator that enough is enough.
So, what are some things you can you do to stay out of this game of pickle?
It begins by investing time each week into your mobility and recovery. It doesn’t take much to make a difference, especially when you’re consistent. Try just 10 – 20 minutes of dedicated mobility and flexibility a couple times a week, and begin seeing the results!
If you’re looking for some program ideas or guidance on movement selection, check my two latest articles.
Or if you’re looking to understand more about your own flexibility, check out my Mobility Assessment eBook!