Working Through Pain

I’ve been hearing it quite a bit. A common theme at the clinic lately has been “working through pain.” Those three words are enough to make a Manhattan Physical Therapy office cringe. A patient recently stated “I felt something tweak in my shoulder so I just dropped down in weight.” This is the WRONG approach! That “tweak” may have been a microtear (i.e. rotator cuff tear), which will subsequently inflame the joint. Working through the pain may lead to a larger tear or even a complete tear in worst case scenarios. When something like this occurs, the best thing you can do is halt the workout, go home and ice the body part that was involved. One of the worst mistakes we make is thinking that taking a day off or a week off from the gym will drastically halt our progress. If you are an avid gym user, chances are your body could use the rest to fuel your recovery.

The whole idea behind this entry to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. This applies to all aspects of our lives. Our bodies let us know when we are hungry, when we are tired, when we eat foods our bodies don’t agree with, and just as important…when we are in pain. Pain indicates something is wrong. Your body is your temple, listen to it.

-Dr Rofé
Esprit Wellness (Find us on Facebook)