As hard as it is to believe we are already in the month of May, I am thrilled about the prospect of summer.  In true Tennessee fashion, we have seen it all this spring: sun, snow, rain, from 85 degrees to 34 in a day; you get the picture.  Weather aside; I know summer is close when I begin seeing a rise in athletic related injuries come through my door.

Whether it be the crossfitter that “did something” to their shoulder, or the golfer that “gave it all they had”, people get hurt as a result of being active.  The word “injury” carries an interesting negative connotation with it. When someone gets injured they are often told one of two things:

[list-ul type=”minus”][li-row]You can’t do “_______” anymore.[/li-row][li-row]“_______” is causing your pain and is bad for you. [/li-row][/list-ul]

I take issue with this for two reasons.  Number one, I don’t believe in the word “can’t” and two; pain is not always a negative thing.

You nervous system acts as a safety system for your body, much in the same manner a seatbelt alert works in your car. Pain is your body’s way of saying, “Hey! Pay attention to me because I am trying to protect you.”

Like using a seatbelt, your body can only protect you if you take advantage of the built in safety mechanisms.  Everyone has physical limitations of some kind so my goal is to not only get a client feeling better, but also to educate them on how to manage the wear and tear that comes along with doing what they love.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had clients come to my office and breakdown in tears because they’ve been told they can no longer do what they love.  Once I explain how they injured themselves, they begin to see how to manage that activity with their body’s natural limitations.

Your body is good at surviving, so buckle up and listen to your safety systems.  They will tell you when to push harder and when to back off.