What are you doing everyday to feel better?
Posted on 09. Feb, 2009 by Keith Scott in Articles, Back to Health
For the last 18 years, I have heard mostly complaints from my clients and athletes. Having the opportunity to work on both the Sports Performance and the Sports Medicine side of things, gets you in front of a lot of people looking to play better and feel better.
When you are dealing with injuries and pain, you get a lot of complaints. Actually, 99% of what you deal with is complaints. “My back hurts” “My knee is killing me” “My shins ache” etc…
That is the nature of the job. The only way to stay sane when you hear that many complaints is to make sure that the people that are complaining are finding a way to get better and feel better.
I have always had a motto when working with people “Always leave feeling better than they did when they walked in the door.” In order for this to happen, I always make sure they are doing the things to help them heal and feel better…every single time.
It was easier when I saw my athletes everyday to make sure they were doing what was necessary to get better and feel better. It is much tougher when I only see clients twice a week for an hour at a time.
Therefore, chances are if you have pain or are chronically injured, you are complaining about it too. Whether it is to your family, friends, or even to yourself, somehow somewhere you are probably complaining.
Whether you are doing anything about it is entirely a different story however. The majority of people I know don’t do anything about it. Most people don’t have a motto for themselves, like I did for my clients.
What are you doing, right now, to make yourself feel better? What are you doing to get rid of your pain for good? What are you doing to heal and correct yourself so you don’t have anymore issues?
The better question is, ‘What are you doing each day to ensure you are on the road to recovery?’ Popping an Advil or getting medication from your doctor is not helping the problems, rather it is only dealing with the symptoms.
I would really like to know. Throw a comment down after reading this and let me know what you do to feel better when you have physical pain.
Lets start a discussion and talk about what everyone is doing when they have pain and injury. Maybe we can all learn something.
Dave
09. Feb, 2009
I stretch and do some mobility exercises for ~20 minutes each morning, first thing after getting up. These exercises/stretches were given to me by a physio (PT) that I am seeing at the moment for a knee issue (Osgood-Schlatter).
I also use a tennis ball on my back for a tight spot near my left shoulder blade.
I try to get up and move my shoulders a couple of times a day. Things like arm circles, stick ups etc.
Cheers,
Dave.
Keith Scott
09. Feb, 2009
Dave,
Good Stuff! Staying mobile is essential especially if you are trapped behind a desk all day.
If you are having knee issues like Osgood, I would recommend some soft tissue work of your quad and quad tendon. It will do wonders for that specific issue.
JP
09. Feb, 2009
Keith,
I have been finishing my workouts with 10 min of using the stick or a foam roller. I find taking the 10 min doing this rather than stretching has helped my chonic sore back and knees that I have had since college. I spend a 20-30 min session isolated on static stretching 2-3 times a week. I find that this fits into my schedule as a strength coach were as my lifts I am have to jump back to work after working out and don’t have the time to stretch. Still have the sore back and knees but not nearly as bad.
Great post keep up the good work
JP
Doug Willick
09. Feb, 2009
Shoulder retraction exercises for posture and tight upper back muscles, hip rotator and flexor stretches for my lower back when tight and ankle rotations to keep them limber, especially for squatting.Lateral and medial hip rotation exercises too as a movement, not a stretch
Keith Scott
09. Feb, 2009
JP,
I love using the stick. Keep one handy at home and work. Great for quads, hammys and calves. I use foam rolling and other soft tissue work much more than stretching. I find that stretching without doing soft tissue work is somewhat of a waste.
Thanks for th comment
-Keith
Keith Scott
09. Feb, 2009
Doug,
You are doing great stuff…hips and shoulders are the two most important areas to cover in my opinion.
Good stuff
Eddie J.
12. Feb, 2009
Hey Keith, I,m pretty new to this idea. I have lower back pain quite frequently. I want to beef-up a little because, except for a brief period in my late 20′s, I’ve been skinny all my life. I’ve increased my calorie and protein intake, I’ve worked some core exercises into my strength-training routine. I really want to get into shape and feel healthy and strong, but I get discouraged because of my back. I think your website is right on target, so I would value your input.
Thank you,
Eddie
D-Rock
13. Feb, 2009
For acute pain, the RICE and MICE formulas have never let me down. SMR and foam rolling have also been highly useful for the prevention and rehabilitation of injury.
I try to avoid chronic injuries through pre-hab techniques: maintaining my mobility and flexibility; using proper exercise form; and maintaining muscular balance between flexors, extensors and stabilizers. I also try to stay hydrated throughout the day to help keep muscles from sticking or cramping.
I’ve been told massage is also extremely beneficial, though I have little hands-on experience. No pun intended, of course.
Chris Melton
15. Feb, 2009
I’ve been using kettlebells for a couple of months. Great intensity and easier on my joints than pounding heavy iron.
Keith Scott
15. Feb, 2009
Eddie
What other things have you been doing specifically for your back? Chances are your hips need a lot of work. Let me know and maybe we can figure it out
-Keith
Chris Lopez
24. Feb, 2009
Hey Keith,
I hit the foam roller everyday and do mobility drills and recovery workouts with kettlebells twice per week.
I find that if I foam roll (my glutes & IT band especially), I get less/to no anterior knee pain (I have a lot degeneration due to years of jumping).
KB workouts the day after a hard lower body session seems to take away a lot of the soreness from the previous workout.
Chris
Andy Campbell
24. Feb, 2009
Hey Keith – I’ve been suffering from pain in my right knee. My approach to getting better is to lose weight (simple answer, harder to achieve). In addition I have been stretching more and really focusing on strengthening exercises, particularly single-leg exercises and stability.