Living an active lifestyle can take a toll on your joints and body if you are not careful. Even the healthiest people have to deal with some form of pain. This could be from an old injury or a problem area of your body you have struggled with for years. Preventative care is the best type of care as it can keep you healthy by identifying a problem then working on it. If you love playing tennis it is important to do elbow and shoulder exercises that focus on common problem areas for injury. Furthermore, if you have been experiencing back pains or shoulder pains, then you might want to visit a chiropractor. The following are tips to help you prevent and deal with pain so you can continue to live as active of a lifestyle as you desire.
Identify Areas of Concern
Being honest about your weak areas of your body can allow you to create a plan to improve. This could be the inability to lift objects due to back issues or issues standing for extended periods. Both of these types of pain can restrict you in certain activities that you might enjoy. Enlisting the help of a fitness professional or physical therapist can work wonders. These professionals will help strengthen the areas of the body that are weak that could be causing pain. Overcompensation can lead to pain if you are protecting an injured area.
Flexibility Matters
Going to yoga can be a great way to work on your flexibility as a part of your exercise regimen. After a tough lifting session, you rarely want to spend the appropriate time stretching regardless of how important it is. Building in flexibility as a part of a workout in the beginning as a warmup and a cool down at the end will help even the tightest of hamstrings. Tight hamstrings are a main factor in back and hip pain.
Massage
Going to get a massage weekly can allow you to truly get all of those knots worked out of your muscles. There could be knots that are hampering your athletic performance. The ability to work out that stress through massage is an added benefit to your mental health. Finding the right massage therapist can be tough as you want a therapist that also has mastered other skills. Acupuncturists are a great example of a professional that is trained in the art of massage along with the ancient practice of acupuncture.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture and acupressure have been used for centuries with a number of people garnering benefits from the ancient practice. Most people have a misconception that the needles used hurt when inserted into the top of the skin. This couldn’t be further from the truth and if there is any pain the acupuncturist will remove the needle placing it elsewhere. Most acupuncturists will recommend that you rest after the first few sessions to allow your body to recover.
Preventing pain without medication is extremely important as you do not want to become dependent on this. There could be lasting side effects from a medication that could have deadly implications. Deal with your pain in the ways above before even considering medication.