Of course there is no cure for joint pain, but there are preventative measures that we can take to greatly reduce the chances of getting shoulder/knee/back discomfort. Last I heard 4 out of 5 of us will suffer from shoulder/back/knee issues at some point while exercising, so pay attention:
It seems, in my experience anyway; in the overwhelming majority of cases of joint pain, preventative measures were not taken. Pretty much anytime someone tells me they have knee, back, or shoulder pain, the “cause” comes directly from one of two very preventable issues:
1. The exerciser is doing something wrong.
2. The exerciser is doing too much.
The good news is that both of those issues are easy to address.
First, if you’re doing something wrong:
Double and triple check if you are moving in the correct manner. Are you squatting correctly? I.e., are your toes forward, are your knees in line with your toes, are you flexing at the hips instead of the lower back? When you push or pull are your shoulders staying retracted instead of rolling forward? Is your mid-section stabilized as opposed to flexing and extending?
In many cases, exercisers think they are using correct form when they are not, either due to ignorance, inattentiveness, or poor previous instruction. This is why it’s crucial to both learn correct movement, and pay attention to your movement as you exercise.
Secondly, joint pain can come from doing too much.
“Too much” can mean a few different things from an exercise standpoint: Too many workouts, too many reps, too much weight, too difficult of an exercise, etc. Essentially, you’ve given your body a greater workload than it can handle and joint pain is its way of telling you that you need to back off a little.
In these cases, joint pain prevention is simple – use common sense. Know your limits and understand the phrase “no pain, no gain” was uttered by a learning impaired individual.
In the non-exercise world of real life, "too much" can mean numerous things: too much driving, too much working, too much gardening, landscaping, shoveling, etc.
Of course, I need to add the caveat that people doing too much in the exercise world seems to be the exception. Too much more commonly means too much sitting, too much eating, etc. So explore the option you may be doing too much in your workouts only if you actually work out a lot. If you don’t work out a lot, give it a shot.
It seems, in my experience anyway; in the overwhelming majority of cases of joint pain, preventative measures were not taken. Pretty much anytime someone tells me they have knee, back, or shoulder pain, the “cause” comes directly from one of two very preventable issues:
1. The exerciser is doing something wrong.
2. The exerciser is doing too much.
The good news is that both of those issues are easy to address.
First, if you’re doing something wrong:
Double and triple check if you are moving in the correct manner. Are you squatting correctly? I.e., are your toes forward, are your knees in line with your toes, are you flexing at the hips instead of the lower back? When you push or pull are your shoulders staying retracted instead of rolling forward? Is your mid-section stabilized as opposed to flexing and extending?
In many cases, exercisers think they are using correct form when they are not, either due to ignorance, inattentiveness, or poor previous instruction. This is why it’s crucial to both learn correct movement, and pay attention to your movement as you exercise.
Secondly, joint pain can come from doing too much.
“Too much” can mean a few different things from an exercise standpoint: Too many workouts, too many reps, too much weight, too difficult of an exercise, etc. Essentially, you’ve given your body a greater workload than it can handle and joint pain is its way of telling you that you need to back off a little.
In these cases, joint pain prevention is simple – use common sense. Know your limits and understand the phrase “no pain, no gain” was uttered by a learning impaired individual.
In the non-exercise world of real life, "too much" can mean numerous things: too much driving, too much working, too much gardening, landscaping, shoveling, etc.
Of course, I need to add the caveat that people doing too much in the exercise world seems to be the exception. Too much more commonly means too much sitting, too much eating, etc. So explore the option you may be doing too much in your workouts only if you actually work out a lot. If you don’t work out a lot, give it a shot.
Don't be this A-Hole.
