Think Bigger To Get Over Pain & Injury

Limited thinking leads to limited results.

Many members end up in my classes because they've been struggling to get over a persistent pain or recurring injury.

A big reason I see for this happening is trying to fix just the body part that's hurting or targeting a single muscle, say tight hamstrings or weak glutes.

It's not your fault. We're conditioned from childhood that when we have a problem we look for a solution or cure.

But it's this mindset that keeps you injured and in pain.

To get over pain and injury, THINK BIGGER!!!!! 

Expand your focus away from where it's hurting and explore ALL of your body to notice patterns and habits. From this awareness comes the ability to change those that lead to tension and develop more helpful movements.

Let's look at how apply expanded thinking to 2 common and and stubborn injuries - knee and shoulder pain that may have been labelled as "wear and tear", osteoarthritis or "frozen" shoulder.

1) Knee Pain

To clarify, we're talking about knee pain that's NOT from something like a ligament rupture, fall or accident. This might be a knee that hurts or swells with exercise, doesn't like certain movements like lunges, or just aches a lot.

You might get a diagnosis like PFP (Patellofemoral pain / Runner's Knee), ITBS (IT Band Syndrome), Baker's cyst, bursitis or osteoarthritis. These are generally 'wear and tear' or repetitive stress type injuries.

The usual treatments currently offered are anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers (analgesics), steroid injection, physiotherapy and keyhole orthopaedic surgery.

Very often, despite these interventions the pain persists or keeps coming back whenever you start to become more active - frustrating when it stops stops you doing your favourite class or sport.

How To Think Bigger To Get Over The Pain

• Explore how your feet connect and engage with the ground. The knee is only ever the middle man between the foot and the hip, so it reflects whatever's going on above and below.
• Increase your sensory awareness and motor control of your feet (and therefor toe lines) for improved stability and balance. This will help your joints to align and function more naturally, with less 'wear and tear'.
• Is your pelvis centred and balanced? Your pelvis sits somewhat precariously on top of your hip joints, so your legs are like 2x columns or pillars with your fee at the base.
• Can the top of your thigh bone (femoral head) move consistently around the middle of the hip socket (acetabulum)? The top of the thigh bone sits in a fluid filled cavity in the pelvis. This cavity is the hip socket or acetabulum. 
• Do your foot, ankle, knee and hip work like a synchronised swimming team of 4? They have to communicate effectively and move together in a coordinated way for pain-free movement.

All of these influence the angle of the thigh bone in the hip socket, and therefore how the bottom of the thigh bone (femur) meets and sits on top of the shin bone (tibia). The knee joint is the junction between the femur and tibia.

Then you can explore how your knees function:

• Can you bend (flex) and straighten (extend) the knee fully? Moving the knee through it's full range of motion is essential to keep the joint healthy.
• Can you screw the knee home effectively so it's totally stable for standing and walking?
• Do your knees remain straight or bent when you walk? The knees are meant to be the shock absorbers of the body. If they stay permanently straight or bent they can't do this job effectively, and the result is 'wear and tear'.

2) Shoulder Pain

Similar to knee pain, I'm talking about vague shoulder pain that may have been labelled as 'wear and tear', osteoarthritis, bursitis or good ol' "frozen shoulder".

Did you know that the average time it takes to recover from a shoulder injury is 3.5 years....and that's WITH treatment!

Current treatment options are similar to the knee - drugs, steroid injection, physiotherapy or surgery. Clearly, they're not that effective in reducing pain!

How To Think Bigger To Get Over The Pain

• Explore how your feet connect and engage with the ground. The knee is only ever the middle man between the foot and the hip, so it reflects whatever's going on above and below.
• Increase your sensory awareness and motor control of your feet (and therefor toe lines) for improved stability and balance. This will help your joints to align and function more naturally, with less 'wear and tear'.
• Is your pelvis centred and balanced? Your pelvis sits somewhat precariously on top of your hip joints, so your legs are like 2x columns or pillars with your fee at the base.
• Do your foot, ankle, knee and hip work like a synchronised swimming team of 4? They have to communicate effectively and move together in a coordinated way for pain-free movement.

You might be thinking "Hang on! I've got shoulder pain, why on earth should I bother with my lower body?".

Your shoulder muscles generally attach to your ribs and spine. Your spine links onto your pelvis, hips and feet. Everything in the body is connected.

Then you can explore how your upper body functions:

• Can you move your upper arm bone (humerus) consistently in the middle of your shoulder socket (glenoid cavity)?
• Can you move your shoulder blades freely?
• Can you move your ribs freely? Tense, stiff ribs are very common in a society where sitting is part of pretty much everyone's daily routine.
• Are your shoulder blades and ribs working together as a synchronised team? This helps to keep your arm moving in the middle of the shoulder socket.
• Are your ribs, shoulder blades, arms, neck, head and eyes coordinated? They work together as a system for easy rotation. This is essential for pain-free walking and running. 

Thinking Big To Get Over Chronic Pain- A Member's Story

In March a class member asked me about a chronic shoulder injury. Lifting the arm and rotating the shoulder caused pain, and her movement had become more and more limited. Because of this, she'd given up her favourite BodyPump (weight lifting) classes.

She was able to take part in my freestyle Body Conditioning class because we don't use barbells, and she could modify any exercises that triggered pain,

After one class she asked for help with her shoulder.

We chatted so I could better understand the issue - every injury is different so I like to dive into the circumstances of the pain, along with the person's life history and lifestyle. Whilst we were talking, I observed how she held her body - this gives me clues as to where she might be holding tension, and if she's stuck in one of the stress reflexes.

Then I made 3x tiny adjustments.....

• Right foot
• Left hip
• Small weight shift to her right

3,2,1........"Bl**dy hell, I've been living with this for years!" As all the tension and pain melted away, her face just lit up!

2 months later the comfort and range of motion of her shoulder has significantly improved, so much so that she told me she's thinking of trying BodyPump again.

Understandably she's nervous after being in pain for so long. I've encouraged her to give it a go. Ask her body the question and see how it responds - if you don't ask the question, you'll never know the answer. Be prepared to modify...but I believe she's ready and that her body will pleasantly surprise her.

This is what success looks like to me - helping you to feel empowered to manage your body for yourself, confident and able to return to the classes, sport and activities you love.

Do you want the same results as this member, along with the 100's of other class participants and clients I've helped over a decade to get over pain and injury?

NEXT STEPS

** BOOKINGS NOW OPEN ** 

The Befriend Your Body Method for Pain Management & Relaxation

A monthly small group mindful movement class for pain management and relaxation, with the awesome bonuses of a sound bath meditation and a slot for1:1 coaching with a specific pain or injury before the class. 

Click HERE for all the details, including how to book.

Other ways you can find help with managing chronic pain or an injury are:

• Book into a Stretch or Pilates class with me - these are a good introduction to The Befriend Your Body (BYB) Method (mindful movement) for pain management.
• Get your copy of my free E-guide "How to Get Relief From Back Pain and Muscle Tension in just 10 mins a Day". This introduces the 3x universal stress responses that can keep you stuck in pain, and explains the 4x pillars of The BYB Method. There's also 2x video tutorials showing you how to release muscle tension from the front and back of your body in the comfort of your without expensive equipment. Download HERE
• Subscribe HERE to receive "The Movement Chronicle", a weekly e-newsletter delivering mobility and pain reduction tips directly into your inbox every Monday morning,

You can connect with me through any of these channels:

• Email at norma@unicornhealthandfitness.com
• Follow me on Facebook and DM me on Messenger https://www.facebook.com/norma.pearsonfitness
• WhatsApp message to 07801 867361.