Are you avoiding physical activity because of pain? Everyone knows that exercise is a key part of good health, but what do you do if pain prevents you from exercising? Very often, muscle and joint pain can be traced back to tissue overload, that is, when tissue load exceeds tissue tolerance. We can avoid overloading by increasing tolerance, decreasing load, or a combination of both.
Increasing Tissue Tolerance
Tissue tolerance can be increased by strengthening under the appropriate parameters – frequency, intensity, time and type of exercise. Generally, you want to perform exercises that are specific to your activity of choice to gain the most benefit. For example, working on quick or explosive movements would be much more beneficial for sprinting than long-distance running. Technique is also important as improper form can diminish benefits and even cause injury. Although working to fatigue is often required to obtain the most benefit, excessive fatigue can alter technique.
Decreasing Tissue Load
While it is usually difficult to change the demands of a sport or activity, we can decrease load by maximizing biomechanical efficiency and learning to move optimally. This can be challenging to achieve because it requires a movement assessment, best done from a third person perspective, and hard work and dedication to override how our brain has programmed our body to move. Sometimes, an old injury, anatomical variations, and chronic conditions need special adaptation or intervention to allow optimal movement.
Using better equipment, supports, and environments are some other ways to decrease load. For example, using a lighter tennis racquet with a proper grip size can prevent tennis elbow from occurring. Similarly, wearing more cushioned shoes and running on a soft track can minimize pressure and pain on your knees.
Get Professional Advice
A physiotherapist can assess your movement patterns and give you corrective exercises to improve your body’s efficiency and tolerance. In addition, he or she can equip you with knowledge to perform your exercises correctly and make recommendations for reducing load. If pain is preventing you from achieving a healthy lifestyle, it may be a great time to consult a physiotherapist!
