Everyone gets hurt, it’s not a matter of IF, it’s a matter of WHEN.
Living out your daily life can be difficult with unexpected twists and turns at every corner.
Whether it’s your job, outside obligations or even just maintaining relationships with family and friends.
All these activities and roles we play take a heavy toll on the body.
Over time all of these commitments add up and you have to pay for it in some way.
Ask yourself, how exactly are you paying for them?
In this instance we aren’t just talking about money.
Over time, these burdens are paid in physical stress exerted on the body.
Which Path Will You Choose?
When the crushing hammer of stress comes down on you something somewhere has to break, which is usually in the form of an injury.
This is the critical tipping point where you need to choose your next course of action.
There are two roads you can choose.
Ignore Your Body
You can travel the first route, which is done by ignoring the alarms going off in your body.
This oftentimes results in more severe injury, additional complications, and living through unnecessary pain and suffering.
Not a smart choice, but it’s a common one usually called “toughing it out.”
In the short term, this mentality might work, and get you through the day, week or even month.
By ignoring this problem though it’s important to know that you’re making a critical error.
Instead of addressing the problem early, you’re pushing off an issue that will be exponentially more difficult to correct the longer you avoid it.
Getting Ahead of the Problem
The only other option you have is to attack this critical breaking point head on by accepting your situation, seeking answers, and taking steps to rehabilitate yourself back to full strength.
This is the harder path because it takes guts to admit and accept that something is wrong.
YOU need to take responsibility and find a remedy to your unique situation.
Many people think there is a magic wand, a quick fix, or simple pill that will cure all their issues.
The hard fact is that magic pill DOES NOT exist.
Once you accept there is no simple solution, and nobody will do it for you, it’s time to take massive action. It’s time to make it your mission to uplift yourself and bring yourself back to full health.
It Only Takes One Wrong Move
Obviously there are the common mechanisms of injury like athletes participating in organized or recreational sports and also fitness enthusiasts who stay active in the gym.
The constant strain on muscles and pushing past physical limitations is always a risk factor.
But also injuries aren’t specific just to this population.
There are industrial athletes too, the individuals who are working manual labor in factories, warehouses or on the side of the road for the department of transportation.
In recent years, there has been a big mobilization of certified athletic trainers and ergonomic professionals on job sites to reduce the risk of injuries and teach proper lifting techniques.
There is even a special category of athletes that we call our weekend warriors.
The active group of people who are taking weekend excursions, hiking, swimming, boating, or simply playing with the kids on the weekend.
Even these activities put a high level stress on the body which can be challenging and cause musculoskeletal injuries like tendonitis, pulled muscles or sprains.
If you’re not maintaining a good fitness routine throughout the week you’re setting yourself up for a surprise injury.
How to Avoid an Injury
The unfortunate truth is as you’re reading this we are all getting older.
Our muscles are becoming less elastic and we aren’t able to move as fluidly as we once could.
Age isn’t just a number when we are talking about injuries.
All of the old nagging lingering pains will only resurface and get more severe.
The worst thing you can do is brush it off.
The common phrases we hear often are: “I’m fine”, “It will go away”, “It’s nothing” or “I can tough it out”.
Sound familiar at all?
Recognize the Risk
The first challenge to overcome when trying to live a healthy pain free life is accepting and recognition of your injury.
Identify the problems early, because in doing this you have an exponentially better chance of stopping issues before they become debilitating and costly.
Look out for some of the signs like tightness, weakness, fatigue.
Also look for imbalances in your body bilaterally which means something that differs from one side of the body to the other.
Obviously the biggest sign being pain, little or severe pain is your body’s response telling you something is WRONG.
Evaluating your problem is the next step and it’s not going to happen immediately.
This takes practice and also patience.
Ask yourself some of these questions. Where is the pain? Is it sharp and shooting? Is it dull and achy?
Dial in what and where you are feeling pain and write it down.
Also write the date so you can track your pain progress. Pain can be a tricky thing because it moves and changes over time.
Once you have the location dialed in, test yourself with some movements.
Determine what you can and can’t do by assessing it bilaterally on the healthy side of your body.
Use simple movements like just raising your arm or leg to the side, assess the way your joints move.
Do you have more or less mobility? Listen to your body.
That’s why it’s important to move, stretch, and do therapeutic exercises.
It develops the mind body connection which helps better understand what your body is trying to tell you when you’re experiencing pain.
Movement is Medicine
Simple stretching and therapeutic mobility exercises are the key to maintaining a healthy body.
The traditional expression of “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it” stands true.
Many people abstain from exercise for one reason or another, but truthfully there is no excuse for lack of flexibility and movement.
It’s low impact, easy, and can be done in less than 10 minutes a day.
This can drastically decrease the chances of sustaining an injury.
It also stimulates muscle recovery and muscle recruitment, turning on muscle fibers you don’t activate throughout a typical day around the office or at home.
It can increase muscle elasticity which is the ability of muscle to stretch and retract back to healthy original positions.
Muscle elasticity is something that decreases with age.
Lastly, it builds up the connection between the mind and body and awareness of your own personal limitations. Knowing and understanding your limitations is the start of understanding your own unique body type and how it handles movement.
Understanding your pain and determining your next step to recovery can be difficult.
It’s hard enough just admitting that you’re experiencing a problem.
Now it’s time to choose some recovery and rehabilitation movements.
After working with patients for years I’ve determined that SIMPLE is always better.
The rationale behind this concept is driven by the compliance and patients of the individual.
It’s difficult enough to acknowledge the problem, but it’s exponentially difficult to take action on them.
The truth is many of us are extremely busy throughout the day. Especially if you haven’t allocated any time for fitness in your daily life.
Usually it can feel like an impossible task to squeeze in even just 30 minutes for some self-care. That’s why for starters it’s always best to keep it SIMPLE.
In my experience, the optimal time that should be allocated for the average person is approximately 15 minutes.
Rapid Rehab of about 15 minutes keeps the compliance high and the frustration low.
Consistency is key, and starting with such a small time frame is perfect for building up that daily structure into your routine.
Within that 15 minutes there is usually enough time for 3-5 exercises. These exercises shouldn’t be rushed because technique and proper form are crucial for strengthening and recovery.
Everyday Injuries and Simple Solutions
Here are the most common injuries and the simple ways you can address the issue.
Low Back Pain Rapid Recovery
Back pain is the single most common complaint, specifically Lower Back Pain.
Articles and Journals of Medicine have claimed that around 80% of all people will experience low back pain at least once in their life.
Modern day humans suffer from extreme muscle weakness throughout their entire bodies.
We’ve gone from a species of hunters and gatherers to a population of sitters and slouchers.
The tension from all that sitting, slouching and muscle weakness manifests directly into our lower back.
This area is the nucleus of our core and balance. This is the stability point for our entire body.
You’ve most likely neglected it for years.
With some simple Rapid Recovery Techniques made up of rehabilitation exercises, you can fix this, and build a strong and pain free low back.
When addressing lower back pain you need to understand some of the common problem areas that contribute to this type of injury.
Usually the hips and hamstring play a part in the onset of low back pain.
The flexibility of your hips and hamstring help determine the degree of your lordotic curve which is the arch in your lower back.
Weakness or tightness of the hamstrings has the ability to shift your alignment.
Even if it’s misaligned by a fraction of a degree, it can be the difference between having pain or not.
Weakness is another big problem that aids in developing low back pain.
Nobody likes to be called weak, but it’s the truth. The two most important muscles in the body when it comes to stability and function is the core, and the glutes. These muscles surround and brace the low back. It’s where all movement originates from. Choosing a rapid recovery program for low back pain MUST include some type of core and glute work.
It’s extremely important to eliminate outside avoidable risks of injury.
Analyze the things you’re doing throughout the day.
Think before you lift. Every improper lift adds just a little more fuel to the burning fire in your back.
Even if it’s a relatively light and easy load. Each improper lift has the ability to cause small micro traumas to the back. Over time these micro traumas add up and can be the cause of your unwanted pain without you even knowing it.
If you’re working in a highly physical environment be sure to utilize proper bracing and lifting techniques. Don’t forget to use your legs and maintain a strong and stable core.
Keep items close to the body when you’re picking up and holding objects.
Pick and choose your battles. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if something is even slightly too heavy for you alone. Use your brain before you use your back.
Low Back Rapid Recovery Rehabilitation Plan
- Posterior Pelvic Tilt – 10 second hold 10 second Relax 5 Minutes
- Hamstring Stretch – 30 seconds each leg x 3 Reps
- Spine Extension – 30 Second hold x 3 Reps
- Glute Bridge – 10 Reps x 3 sets
Neck Pain Rapid Recovery
Neck pain is an increasingly common area of concern for injury.
When pain develops in the neck it can be excruciatingly painful and nagging.
If you’ve had the unfortunate situation where you tweak and strain your neck it can be unbelievably debilitating for days or even weeks. All it takes is one small tweak or even just sleeping on it wrong to cause a whirlwind of problems.
Cell phone use, computer use and deck sitting are a major factor predisposing you to these types of neck complications.
Think about the body mechanics of sitting and using these electronics devised all day.
You’re slouched, most of the time looking down at a screen putting the neck in an awkward impinged position.
Over time these bad habits change the structure and strength of the muscles around the neck.
These muscles loosen and have the ability to change the natural head position leaving you with a forward head posture.
This can be a slippery slope because once you’re out of alignment it’s going to take physical therapy and rapid recovery exercises to correct.
The head and neck function in a unique way that allows humans to move and look in all different directions.
The cervical spine is categorized as a facet joint. These joints are unlike any other joint in the body.
In comparison a knee or an elbow joint would be categorized as a hinge joint because it allows movement across one plane.
A hinge joint closely mimics how a door would function to open and close. The facet joints however are exceptionally unique and are only located in the spine.
They allow for increased mobility in all different planes of movement. The different planes being flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation.
Think about all the different angles your neck can move to get through an average day.
Looking up at the sky, down at your shoes, turning around to look out the rear view mirror of your car, and even tilting your head sideways to duck under a low hanging tree branch.
These movements are all synchronized and work together to give us the mobility of our head and neck that we are accustomed to.
Identifying the root cause of your pain would be a starting point for anyone suffering from neck pain.
What is the mechanism of your injury? How is your posture and alignment? Are you looking down at your phone and computer too long? Are you in need of a new pillow to stabilize your neck at night?
Figuring out where the issue is developing is important for prevention. Once you identify the problem, you can modify your lifestyle to reflect that change. Don’t underestimate small changes even if it’s limiting phone screen time or picking better positions to be in while you’re engaging in activities that put your neck in a compromised position.
Mobility, strengthening and realignment are the rehabilitation tools that would be most beneficial to those who are suffering from neck pain. These can be simple and done anywhere with no equipment necessary.
Simple range of motion exercises will aid in opening up those facet joints so they can freely glide as you twist and turn your head. Gentle isometric strengthening can be done very easily just by using your hands.
In 15 minutes or less, you can have a Rapid Recovery program to eliminate any and all neck pain.
Neck Rapid Recovery Rehabilitation Plan
- Mobility Flex, Ext, Lat Flex, Rotation – 15 second hold x 2 sets
- Chin Tucks – 3 sets of 10 reps
- Isometric Holds Flex, Ext, Lat Flex Rotation – 10 second holds x 3 Reps
Ankle Pain Rapid Recovery
When talking about overuse and easily injured areas of the body the ankles immediately come to mind.
The ankles are the base of the body. This is where all movement originates.
Each individual step the ankles are supporting, balancing and driving the body into motion.
It’s a tough job especially if you’re carrying around a little extra weight from a winter of hibernation and snacking.
The ankles move in a multidirectional plane giving you the ability to flex downward, upwards and internally and externally rotate the ankle joint.
ALL of these movements come into play when walking especially if we are talking about any and all unstable surfaces.
Walking on the beach sand is an example of an unstable surface.
Not only does your ankle push you forward but its main job is to maintain stability, keeping you upright and from falling over to the side.
The unstable surface sand adds a unique element so much so that professional athletes exercise and train in the sand to enhance ankle strength.
More often than not weakness in ankles is the main problem.
Take a second to reflect on how you use your ankles throughout your day. 99% of the human population only use their ankles in one direction of movement which is forward.
Forward is the direction you’re always traveling whether it’s walking to the bathroom, grocery shopping or going for a stroll around the neighborhood.
That is all forward movement and very rarely are you moving backwards or side to side, which is an overlooked aspect of the responsibilities of the ankle joint.
If you aren’t using these movements, you’re losing these movements slowly over time. A rehabilitation recovery plan would include these types of movements to strengthen this weakened problem area.
A great intervention that you and anyone can do to help stabilize these weak and dormant muscles would be to lose the shoes!
The shoes we wear contribute and exacerbate the issues many face with ankle pain.
Removing the shoes ground your body directly to the surface and recruit all the stabilization muscles into action. Also take into account the surfaces you’re walking and running on.
Hard surfaces like black top or side walks have no cushion for the body. These surfaces don’t allow for any shock absorption which adds more stress to the ankle joint. Mix up your walking paths, look for some dirt or grass to add in some much needed relief on the foot and ankles.
Ankle Rapid Recovery Rehabilitation Plan
- Heel and Toe Walks – 3 sets – 20 Feet Each Way
- Calf Stretch 3 sets x 30 second hold
- Single Leg Calf Raises 3 sets of 10 Reps
- Single Leg Balance 3 sets x 30 seconds
Wrist and Elbow Pain Rapid Recovery
This last one is for our everyday athletes and fitness enthusiasts, especially our younger men.
You’re excited, hitting the gym, staying active and looking for the beach ready body for the summer.
Men in particular focus on upper body strength movements to get an athletic muscular physique.
These muscle groups I like to call the glamor muscles like the back, biceps, chest and shoulders. We’ve all seen the guy walking around with massive upper body features and minimal lower body strength.
Looking strong is like a status symbol, and oftentimes these muscles overworked and isolated to the highest degree.
There are also other factors that come into play like ego lifting, and the idea that more weight leads to better results.
All that focus on heavy movements of the upper body lead to an overuse and undertraining of the wrists and forearms. This leads to injury or tendonitis of the wrists and elbows.
The wrists are much like the ankles of the upper body.
They are responsible for gripping and stabilizing all the weight distribution for upper body movements. When training for upper body strength especially in the younger population it’s always MORE, MORE MORE.
Whether it’s pulling extreme weight with your back, or trying to reach that milestone of pushing 225 with your chest.
This isn’t me trying to steer you away from lifting heavier weight. Progressive overload is seen as the most effective way to build stronger, more developed muscles.
The point is while doing this, you can’t neglect the wrists and forearms. Take a deeper look at the way in which you are training. When building your workout ask yourself a simple question.
How many exercises do you have programmed for these larger muscle groups like the back and chest? Based on that answer ask yourself how many exercises you have dedicated to building your wrists and forearms?
This relationship between novice lifters and wrist and elbow pain is incredible.
Companies make big money off the sales of wrist wraps and straps to help alleviate these problems but these tools are merely a Band-Aid for a much larger problem.
Wraps and straps might feel slightly better and more secure but it’s not actually helping you solve the underlying problem of weakness.
Actually an argument can be made that these tools are making your problem worse and causing MORE weakness.
Lose the straps and wraps and integrate strengthening elements for your forearms and wrists into your training routine.
If you’re experiencing any pain like this it is important to structure some time into your routine for rapid recovery techniques for this area of the body.
This will not only eliminate pain, but it will get you the results you’re looking for. You’ll be stronger, lifting more weight, with greater frequency which is the ultimate goal.
Wrist and Elbow Rapid Recovery Rehabilitation Plan
- Prayer Stretch 3 x 30 seconds
- Weighted Wrist Curls 3 sets x 10 reps
- Weighted Wrist Extension 3 sets x 10 reps
- Tennis Ball Squeeze 3 reps x 30 second hold
