By Tim Drown and Annie Poirier
Did you know what most women do to alleviate pain (rest, take medicine, ice, heat or do specific exercises prescribed by a doctor or physical therapist at the specific joint where the pain is felt) doesn’t work- it does not solve the root of the problem it only treats the symptoms for a short while.
What Does Work:
Fascia is a tough cobweb-like sheath that envelops the muscles, nerves and bones. It protects organs and joints from head to toe and acts as a shock absorber.
The fascia becomes tight, knotted and constricted from trauma, injuries, accidents, the same repetitive motions, poor posture, neuromuscular weakness and the aging process.
When the fascia constricts, shrinks or gets tight it gets inflamed and creates pressure on the tissue surrounding it causing an increase in pain and inhibits mobility and flexibility. The fascia is also rich in nerve cells, so you will feel the pain.
Secret #2 – Ensure that the joints along your Kinetic Chain Function Correctly/Optimally.
Did you realize the nagging pain in your knee might be caused by tight muscles in your hips? Ifyou only do movements to strengthen muscles around the knee you won’t resolve the kneepain. You might be wondering why this is – our entire body is related (connect by something called a kinetic chain) and compensates for imbalances, pain or injury in order to protect itself. Simply put, every body part is linked and dependent on every other body part through a system called the kinetic chain.
The kinetic chain is the system that promotes and manages movement -from the feet tofingertips and the muscles, fascia (that’s that word again), and other connective tissue tie it all together. If one area of the chain is weak, another part must compensate and the next link in the chain will suffer.
For the chain to functional optimally it must have both stabile and mobile components with one part of the chain stabile and then the next mobile all the way up to the shoulders/neck.
If one component along the chain is broken, deficient or not working properly your body will compensate and you will FEEL PAIN/ACHES.
Secret #3 – While every joint is important along the chain the HIPS maybe most important –Implement a Movement Prep and Prehab Routine.
Todd Durkin, a fitness pro who trains professional athletes as well as every day Joes and Janessays, “If your hips are tight and don’t or can’t function correctly (properly), you are on the road to pain, injury and even disability.”
The key to improving HIP rotation function is to improve both Hip mobility and stability. I will go into more detail later on when I talk about HRD (Hip Rotational Deficit)
So, the 3 Secrets to Pain-Free Living is: to Improve your Fascia Health, Make Sure Your Joints Along the Kinetic Chain are Functioning Correctly and Make Time to Improve Hip Mobility Function.
Now that you know the 3 secrets to Pain-Free living let take a look at the top 6 causes that women suffer from chronic daily plain. (From Todd Durkin)
Simply put distress leads to dis-ease. When you live in excessive distress, you feel anxiety, worry, anger, frustration, irritability and have high levels of cortisol (the fat storage hormone). Stress impacts sleep quality, causes blood pressure to spike and breathing becomes shallow, causing muscles from your neck down through your back to tense up and tighten It then wreaks havoc on your entire body.
Solution: Listen to Yoga Nidra Guided Meditations, learn how to improve your breathing drink more water and tea get out into nature, move-play-exercise joyfully
If one component along the chain is broken, deficient or not working properly your body will compensate and you will FEEL PAIN/ACHES.
Secret #3 – While every joint is important along the chain the HIPS maybe most important –Implement a Movement Prep and Prehab Routine.
Todd Durkin, a fitness pro who trains professional athletes as well as every day Joes and Janessays, “If your hips are tight and don’t or can’t function correctly (properly), you are on the road to pain, injury and even disability.”
The key to improving HIP rotation function is to improve both Hip mobility and stability. I will go into more detail later on when I talk about HRD (Hip Rotational Deficit)
So, the 3 Secrets to Pain-Free Living is: to Improve your Fascia Health, Make Sure Your Joints Along the Kinetic Chain are Functioning Correctly and Make Time to Improve Hip Mobility Function.
Now that you know the 3 secrets to Pain-Free living let take a look at the top 6 causes that women suffer from chronic daily plain. (From Todd Durkin)
- Elevated, too much Stress
- Too much Sitting
- HRD (Hip Rotational Deficit) /Poor Hip & Pelvis Functioning
- Poorly Designed Exercise Programs
- Not enough focus on doing Movement Prep or Prehab
- Poor or inadequate Recovery & Regeneration Strategies
Simply put distress leads to dis-ease. When you live in excessive distress, you feel anxiety, worry, anger, frustration, irritability and have high levels of cortisol (the fat storage hormone). Stress impacts sleep quality, causes blood pressure to spike and breathing becomes shallow, causing muscles from your neck down through your back to tense up and tighten It then wreaks havoc on your entire body.
Solution: Listen to Yoga Nidra Guided Meditations, learn how to improve your breathing drink more water and tea get out into nature, move-play-exercise joyfully
Too much Sitting which causes our glutes to bear the brunt of the weight and our chest muscles to tighten and pull the shoulders forward. We wind up hunched forward putting pressure on the back and neck. We all sit too much (in front of computers, in meetings, at lunch, on the coach at night watching tv, etc....) Sitting for hours develops poor posture which alters the body’sfascia and causes perpetual pain.
Solution: Play, Move & Exercise Joyfully. Implement our 2x2x2 Movement Formula (Do 2 days of walking, 2 days of PlayFit, and 2 days FitMoves. Foam Roll do Movement Prep and Prehab Activities on a consistent basis.
Hip Rotational Deficit (HRD) Having limited ability at the hip complex (glutes, piriformis, psoas, and adductor muscles) impacts how the pelvis functions (it flexes and rotates the trunk and stabilizes the back). It locks the hip down and prevents the proper amount of rotation needed to move effectively.
All these muscles are connected by fascia. The renowned movement expert Moshe Feldenkraissaid, “You go as your pelvis goes” When your pelvis is off level, out of balance, tilted forward orback it causes muscles to function poorly and the body moves inefficiently. This compensatory causes multiple joints along the chain be impacted, leading to pain.
Solution: Use Movement Prep, Prehab and Foam Rolling to improve mobility and flexibility of the muscles that surround the pelvis and hips in order to keep the body pain-free performing well and feeling great.
Poorly Designed Exercise Programs found on the internet or old outdated training methods and exercises lead to joint injuries, muscle strains and chronic tendonitis and over-training. In addition, most traditional programs use machines that isolate muscles and are linear based (that is they train the body in one plane) Lifting, cycling, running and rowing are straight linedactivities and don’t reflect how the body functions and works in the real world. Lastly, certainmovements or exercises might be exacerbating the pain.
Solution: Train the core in all directions, do movement prep and prehab activities that increase flexibility in the hip and midthoracic (mid back) while strengthening low-back stability. Use training equipment like bands, dumbbells, medicine balls and kettlebells while doing more pulling exercises to overcome sitting. Since our body moves in multiple planes and dimensions, exercises and movements should also challenge you in this manner.
Solution: Play, Move & Exercise Joyfully. Implement our 2x2x2 Movement Formula (Do 2 days of walking, 2 days of PlayFit, and 2 days FitMoves. Foam Roll do Movement Prep and Prehab Activities on a consistent basis.
Hip Rotational Deficit (HRD) Having limited ability at the hip complex (glutes, piriformis, psoas, and adductor muscles) impacts how the pelvis functions (it flexes and rotates the trunk and stabilizes the back). It locks the hip down and prevents the proper amount of rotation needed to move effectively.
All these muscles are connected by fascia. The renowned movement expert Moshe Feldenkraissaid, “You go as your pelvis goes” When your pelvis is off level, out of balance, tilted forward orback it causes muscles to function poorly and the body moves inefficiently. This compensatory causes multiple joints along the chain be impacted, leading to pain.
Solution: Use Movement Prep, Prehab and Foam Rolling to improve mobility and flexibility of the muscles that surround the pelvis and hips in order to keep the body pain-free performing well and feeling great.
Poorly Designed Exercise Programs found on the internet or old outdated training methods and exercises lead to joint injuries, muscle strains and chronic tendonitis and over-training. In addition, most traditional programs use machines that isolate muscles and are linear based (that is they train the body in one plane) Lifting, cycling, running and rowing are straight linedactivities and don’t reflect how the body functions and works in the real world. Lastly, certainmovements or exercises might be exacerbating the pain.
Solution: Train the core in all directions, do movement prep and prehab activities that increase flexibility in the hip and midthoracic (mid back) while strengthening low-back stability. Use training equipment like bands, dumbbells, medicine balls and kettlebells while doing more pulling exercises to overcome sitting. Since our body moves in multiple planes and dimensions, exercises and movements should also challenge you in this manner.
Not Focusing on Movement Prep or Prehab. Most women have serious flexibility and mobility issues especially in the hips, hamstring and chest. And the older we get the worse it becomes. Failure to focus on this important part of a workout/ training leads to muscle tightness, discomfort, knotted and constricted fascia, injury and pain.
Solution: Foam Roll, Implement a 5-7-minute Movement Prep routine prior to your workout, play, movement or exercise session. Do 3-5 prehab activities either at the start or end of a workout. Do some static stretching especially for the calves, hamstrings, glutes and piriformis and chest muscles.
Poor Recovery and Regeneration Strategies that lead to over-training and burn out. Not using the best practice standards with regards to nutrition and sleep. Not listening to Yoga Nidra (Stress-Less with Divine Sleep) Not using ProVantage a world class recovery beverage from Reliv to speed recovery and enhance fascia health.
Solution: Rest, Recover & Re-energize. Learn more about nutrition and change your habits with regards to food and eating. This is the #1 thing you can do, as food fuels our body and is key to our body systems functioning properly and optimally
(Enroll in our Precision Nutrition with ProCoaching Program)
Solution: Foam Roll, Implement a 5-7-minute Movement Prep routine prior to your workout, play, movement or exercise session. Do 3-5 prehab activities either at the start or end of a workout. Do some static stretching especially for the calves, hamstrings, glutes and piriformis and chest muscles.
Poor Recovery and Regeneration Strategies that lead to over-training and burn out. Not using the best practice standards with regards to nutrition and sleep. Not listening to Yoga Nidra (Stress-Less with Divine Sleep) Not using ProVantage a world class recovery beverage from Reliv to speed recovery and enhance fascia health.
Solution: Rest, Recover & Re-energize. Learn more about nutrition and change your habits with regards to food and eating. This is the #1 thing you can do, as food fuels our body and is key to our body systems functioning properly and optimally
(Enroll in our Precision Nutrition with ProCoaching Program)
- Drink ProVantage after an exercise, play or movement session
- Listen to Stress-Less with Divine Sleep (Yoga Nidra), reduce stress
- Listen to Positive Self-talk (change your mood, mindset and emotional state)
- Implement a Self-Care Practice daily
- Utilize our 2x2x2 Movement Formula (walk 2 days a week, complete FitMoves 2 days a week and do
2 days of PlayFit) - Active Rest – foam roll, contrast showers, massage, Rolfing, take a music bath
- Order our “Kitchen Rescue Pak” – Make meal planning and preparation easy
- Journal
- Enroll in Annie’s On-line Drumming Fitness Class
- Create a victory and gratitude practice and list
- Laugh
- Get outside in nature
- Get and Give Hugs, Hold Hands
- Do something with a friend, family member, etc.
- Find a spiritual practice
- Volunteer for something that gives you energy back
- ADD YOURS HERE
Sources & Reference(s):
“The Impact Plan” by Todd Durkin M.S., CSCS
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist & Personal Trainer Tim Drown M.S., CSCS. NSCS-CPT, CPNC, CLC, CSTT“The Art and Science of Functional Sports Conditioning” by Vern Gambetta
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