We all have a physical story that has shaped us. Whether it be an injury, a sport that dominated our time as a child, our profession, or even pregnancy, our bodies are a representation of what we have been through. Sometimes this leads to achy muscles, joints, or connective tissue that affects how we operate. Make sure you acknowledge your spot and give it what it needs.
The human body works as an integrated unit. A foot injury will have a system wide impact, as even the slightest alteration of your gait will change what the legs, pelvis, and trunk normally do. A lower back spasm will often change how you sit, stand, walk, and pick things up. Every try to serve a tennis ball with a stiff shoulder? Good chance your elbow will hurt soon. Most of us are familiar with the term compensation, summarizing the body’s ability and willingness to help out injured body parts. Compensating is a double edged sword! It keeps us moving in the short term, but you don’t want to lose track of it.
Injuries have a way of sticking with us. Whether they were caused by an accident or our environment, they alter our memories and future experiences. Scar tissue and “stuck” layers of fascia impede movement. Most of us will do the bare minimum of physical therapy appointments required to get us out of discomfort. Sometimes we do the exercises at home, but often times not.Regular dedication to your body’s flexibility and strength is the only way to ensure a healthy and integrated system. If an area was really tight, do the mobility work. If a certain motion is weak, practice stabilizing and strengthening the area. As time goes on you will have a strong pulse on not only the area that needed care, but the surrounding areas of your body as well. You will have a deeper understanding of your physical needs at any given time of your life.
We adapt and overcome injury to survive. Our body knows it needs to move to keep the heart, lungs, and brain working. We have incredible ability to overcome physical hardships. Injuries and incidents is life’s way of throwing us a curve ball. Nothing will ever change the fact that if you want to be healthy, you need to give daily attention to your physical body. Don’t wait for further compensations to kick in. Stay in control and give your trouble spots the attention they need.
