Ever wonder why your fitness program does not work, or why that nagging pain in your back, shoulder or knee never goes away?  I will tell you WHY.  It’s because most people fail to listen to their body.  Stay with me here.

If your fitness program is not yielding results, I bet you are not working hard enough and likely doing the same old routine.  Your body knows this and tells you this as it is not ever sore, nor does it change.  Likewise, the body sends signals of injury or mechanical failure in the form of pain, swelling, stiffness and weakness.  If you blow it off, bad things are likely to follow in time.

Consider the stubborn client who has a small shoulder pain related to a new kettle bell class he has been taking.  The pain starts out as a minor irritation, but as time goes by it grows.  Now bench press and shoulder press is hard to even do.  Even getting dressed is uncomfortable.  You guessed it.  The rotator cuff is flat out mad and inflamed.  Continuing to ignore it may lead to a tear, chronic inflammation and certain activity restrictions.

Can this be avoided?  In many cases the answer is yes.  Recognizing changes or the lack thereof, should give all of us a call to action.  It is much easier to solve pain and inflammation with early detection.  Telling yourself you can work through it and it will get better in time is foolish.  Not true 9 times out of 10.  Look at my neck problem.  I tried to work through it for a week and then realized it was not going away.  In fact it got worse.  Then I started an anti-inflammatory medication (mostly beneficial early on) and cervical traction.  The result is my symtpoms are resolving within 5 days of beginning treatment.  Whew!  The surgeron can keep waiting for me because I have no plans to visit anytime soon.

Am I fortunate?  Absolutely.  No one likes a pinched nerve.  But, do NOT discount the value of early recognition and intervention.  It has and will continue to keep me healthy long term.  So, listen to your body.  It provides all the clues necessary for people like me to help you stay fit and healthy while overcoming the plateaus and physical injuries.  Check back as my next post will give you some guidelines to determine if and when you can safely ramp activities back up after injury.