Aches & Pains Are A Normal Part Of Aging - Here's How To Manage Them
Today’s Topic Highlights:
Aches and pains are not the end of the world. Their sudden appearance by no means has to permanently remain. You don’t necessarily need PT, and you probably don’t need major surgery.
The majority of common aches and pains can be either minimized or altogether eliminated right in the comfort of your home. All you need is a small bit of knowledge, a few dirt cheap items, and 5-10 minutes a day of sustained effort.
Tight muscles and knotted connective tissue are the most common causes of solvable muscular pains.
As a general rule, sharp pinpointed pains are best addressed with soft tissue release (AKA massage). Broader, more generalized tightness or aching is best addressed through stretching. When in doubt, perform both massage and muscle stretching to a painful area.
Consult a reputable personal trainer or physical therapist if you seek further guidance.
Aches and pains are an unavoidable part of life. Everyone, regardless of age or fitness demographic, will deal with them at least periodically in one form or another. The spectrum of sensations ranging between pain and pleasure is baked into the human experience. Unpleasant as it may be, some degree of “ouch” is bound to physically manifest for all of us along the way.
Despite this, the experience of nagging bodily pain often confounds people, particularly as age begins creeping in. We have trouble making sense out of why the body suddenly hurts when nothing obvious seems to have caused it. Most of our time is spent in environments free from major hazards. We are not typically engaged in heavy lifting or physically perilous work. Short of an acute sprain or impact based injury, the nature of most nagging pains remains an alarming mystery for folks past 55.
If this sounds familiar, allow the following to allay your concerns - your aches and pains can likely be relieved, and are not the end of the world. Firstly, aches and pains naturally tend to increase with age. Physical mileage can only do one thing over time - accumulate. No differently than a car, the body is simply not going to run quite as well as it once did after many years of wear and tear. Even a well maintained Toyota will eventually lose a certain degree of structural integrity over a long enough span of time.
Secondly, and most importantly, there is good news. In many, if not most cases, you can solve the problem yourself. That’s right. YOU. The majority of common aches and pains can be either minimized or altogether eliminated right in the comfort of your home.
You don’t necessarily need PT, and you probably don’t need major surgery. All you need is a small bit of knowledge, a few dirt cheap items, and 5-10 minutes a day of sustained effort. Let’s take a step by step look at how you can begin troubleshooting and problem solving your personal issues.