Niggles? power through or power down?
Aches and pains are part of nearly any exercise routine. A few mild transient aches – or “niggles” – are to be expected, but how do you decide when that niggle is worth paying more attention to? Enter, our five point guide to sussing out your aches and pains.
Consider how the niggle is presenting
Pain or tenderness in the centre of the muscles on both sides of the body is very likely normal. Problematic pain is more likely to be one-sided, close to a joint, or stick around for more than two days.
Know your weak spots
This is all about you. Consider areas you typically feel tighten up, your health and injury history, sport and activity background, age, size and other factors that lead to weakness in certain areas. Know where you are vulnerable and be aware of aches and pains popping up in these regions.
Know your activity
What areas are typically at risk for your activity? For swimmers we commonly see shoulders, runners we see a lot of achilles and knee pain, netballers often present with knee and ankle problems. Knowing the common injuries specific to your activity gives you a heads up as to what is more likely to be a serious issue.
Follow Shifts golden rule
When you really want to train, it’s too easy to tell yourself that the pinch, ache or throb really isn’t that bad. Here it is, our golden rule of monitoring pain to avoid overuse injuries – if you are changing your biomechanics to avoid pain, you need to rest and get that niggle evaluated. You will do yourself more damage trying to protect an injured area.
Include a treatment as part of your training program
Our clients with the fewest problems and fastest healing times are generally the clients we see most regularly. Regular treatments allow patient and practitioner to identify and iron out niggles early. We have a number of different treatment options – acupuncture, acupressure, electrotherapy, massage, cupping and herbal and supplement therapies. Find what works for you and schedule it in!
Want to get specific? Call the clinic on 03 9530 5536, or email us