What Is Right for You?

The other day I was talking to several peers, most in their 50’s and 60’s, many of which have some sort of joint or back issue. After the birth of my twins, I found my lower back in quite an altered state, my abdomen muscles non-existent and even severed from the large size of the babies (14 lb total, 5 weeks early) and my sleep being affected by my constant back pain. Another issue might be a knee blowout my friend’s had a number of years ago and are now feeling scar tissue act up when they move. In addition, they may have had a fall which required a hip replacement and feel it when they attempt cardio, kick-boxing or stretching exercises. Another possible issue could be shoulder pain from lifting something too heavy last weekend. Whatever the location of the pain, the idea of moving incites an emotional trigger to the event that caused the original injury, which may in turn cause many to be stuck in a paralysis. This possible cycle of thoughts circle in their minds keeping them stuck,

“I need to move, but when I move, I feel pain. I’ll try to move anyway, and yes I still feel pain. So, I’m not going to move, but I need to move…”

This thinking goes on and on until the threshold of change is imposed by health conditions, movement restrictions, and/or a doctor’s ultimatum is spoken.

When I was in this predicament, my back pain became so severe, I turned to Chiropractic care and deep tissue massages. This was the start to my healing. This was expensive at the time, remember I had two babies, (plus a 3 year old toddler). I wanted to self-treat myself, so I began my journey of stretching and exercise.

What can you do if you are in this predicament? I have several ideas. Depending on the injury location, there are several exercise modalities that can really help with movement and proper function. Many forms of Yamuna (Body Rolling), Yoga and Pilates help with stretching techniques. Here are a few tips before signing up for a class:

• Be sure to get your doctor to release you to any practice of exercise before attending a class.
• Make sure the instructor is experienced and knowledgeable with anatomy.
• Take it slow, no need to rush results. Healing and correction take time.
• Try Chiropractic care to properly get your spine and joints into alignment.
• Consider altering your diet as you continue your search.

Don’t give up trying new exercises and stretches. Eventually you will find the right fit for your body and issue. You will start alleviating pain, and wake up one day, like I did, and say, hey, that is weird, my knee (back, shoulder) doesn’t hurt this morning.