“If you are a human being, you probably use the beginning of every year to reflect on the past year, make decisions, and set resolutions for the New Year. It is a good thing to make resolutions, but it takes a good deal of discipline and commitment to get results that would be different and better than what you got last year.” – Lionnel Yamentou Ndzogoue
It’s been a while now since New Year’s Day and many of us find that some (or all) of the resolutions we made back then have been somehow forgotten or abandoned.
And we’re not alone.
The Problem with Those New Year’s Resolutions
Humans have shown themselves to be chronically prone to making resolutions – to resolve to do one thing or another, or to cease doing something – and with a fantastically poor success rate.
What kinds of things?
According to a 2019 study by Inc. magazine, these are the top five most common resolutions:
- Eat Healthier
- Exercise More
- Save Money or Spend Less
- Learn Something New
- Quit Smoking
Working out, exercising, and getting “in shape” are common resolutions each year for millions of people in America. And millions of people commonly fail to follow through with them beyond the end of January or February.
For example, as an article at InStyle points out,
“In January, gyms are usually packed, and home workout equipment flies off the shelves. But usually, by February, things are back to normal. Something similar happened during the pandemic: ‘Many people who were isolated at home went out and bought equipment that they never used because it did not fulfill them or bring them enjoyment,’ says Elisha Contner Wilkins, MS, LMFT, CEDS-S, Executive Director of Veritas Collaborative.”
For most people who fail to follow through on their fitness resolutions, it is usually because of a few common reasons. One is that people tend to attempt too much, too soon. This leads to frustration, pain, and sometimes even injuries.
Another common reason is that they soon view working out or exercising as a chore, and an unpleasant one at that. As Elisha Contner Wilkins says in the InStyle piece,
“Many associate movement with going to a gym and sweating versus choosing something that brings a smile to their face.”
Keeping Those New Year’s Resolutions – Without Shoulder or Knee Pain
It is probably a safe assumption to make that most people who resolve to “exercise more” or “get in shape” are probably not regular practitioners of workout regimens or knowledgeable users of gym and fitness equipment.
Consequently, many of these otherwise well-meaning folks suffer through incorrect form while working out, experience unnecessary pain or discomfort, and sometimes hurt themselves in the process.
So, they quit.
Common mistakes that people make when working out, according to a Forbes article, include:
Not warming up before a workout
“Warming up before exercise prepares your muscles, heart and lungs for physical activity, lowers risk of injuries and helps gear up your mind for the workout ahead.”
Not having an exercise plan
“Ideally, ‘you must do a minimum of three 30 minute workout sessions in a week or four 20 minute sessions at the gym per week – with a maximum of six hours of training.’”
Not taking time to recover
“When you overtrain, you don’t give your body enough time to heal and rejuvenate. This adversely affects your performance and makes your body susceptible to both fitness burnout and injuries.”
Nonetheless, despite their best efforts, many people do develop pain and soreness from working out or intense exercise, and some people even suffer soft tissue injuries that can lead to chronic pain. And some of the most common result in shoulder pain and knee pain.
But, when it comes to working out, pain avoidance is not a bad thing!
At Pain and Performance Solutions, we specialize in identifying, treating, and relieving pain and discomfort that can be a result of athletic activities or workout injuries. By utilizing a variety of therapies and techniques, we can locate the source of your pain and, in most all cases, work with you to relieve the pain and help you to become pain free.
This could involve performing a movement and structural assessment using Anatomy in Motion and the Selective Functional Movement Assessment, or SFMA. Or it might be eliminating painful peripheral nerve entrapments or separating muscle adhesions with Active Release Technique®, or ART®.
Our goal is to not only help you achieve a pain-free lifestyle and restore normal and healthy movement, but to help you pursue your health and fitness goals without being constricted by unnecessary pain and injury.
Your Resolution for Fitness and Pain and Performance Solutions
No one likes pain and no one likes having to function while in pain. And that’s where we come in. By understanding how your body moves through your pain and the compensation patterns and subsequent movement dysfunction, we can determine the best strategy for your recovery.
Pain and Performance Solutions would love to schedule a consultation with you so we can learn more about your pain and explain how our approach can help us diagnose the real cause of your pain.
As with any diagnosis of an injury or chronic pain, the first step is getting to know you. We can’t determine how to diagnose your chronic pain without understanding your history and what you’ve been through and where you are now.
By scheduling a consultation, you will take the first step in your journey to recovery. So, feel free to contact us at (707) 636-4404 or fill out our online contact form.