Humans are designed to MOVE!⠀
Evolution puts human beings at the top of the food chain through their ability to move well and move often. There is no better fix to an injury, pain or restriction than just simply moving.⠀ Too many times, we go to see our GP for musculoskeletal injuries and we are told to rest and take some anti-inflammatories. This isn't taking anything away from your local GP, it is just the fact that they are not trained in this area, especially soft tissue injuries. For the majority of injuries, your GP should be your very last resort or only if you are in need of a stronger pain killer (not advised). Being told to "rest" is the worst possible solution for the body. Resting stops blood flow, movement, muscle activation, joint mobility, etc.
For example, if you tweaked your back performing a deadlift or putting on your shoes, all of the muscles around the site of injury will spasm up to protect the spine. The body has gone into "protection" mode and it is the spasming of the muscles which are causing the majority of the pain. So, if you were to just lay down, do nothing, and stay still, these muscles will just stay in their spasmed state. The quickest and safest way to decrease pain is to simply move, and if you are only able to walk, excellent, that's all you need to do right now! If you can move without pain - MOVE!⠀ You want to get your body back to its normal movement patterns ASAP! If you continue to walk with a limp or not stand up straight, you are convincing the brain that something is wrong so it will keep sending pain signals in the injured area.⠀ Whenever a dog hurts its leg, you don't see them whinging around on the floor and asking for a pair of crutches!! They have no choice but to walk it off and within a short period of time, the leg is working fine.
So the next time you get a tweak in the back or other small soft tissue injuries, try to continue to move it (pain-free) and see how much quicker you recover.⠀
Magic Mick
