A Normal Body?

Perhaps I finally understand why it is that most people with niggly aches and pains take so long to get to a physio (physical therapist).

I don't 'need' to see my physio any longer, but I do schedule in a review every three months or so. After spending years battling pain and doing countless exercises it's worth it to me to check in and make sure everything is at is should be. If anything does flare up, I want to nip it in the bud. (If you're new to this blog or are not familiar with my back story, you can read The Whole Story or About This Blog.)

Last time I saw Super Physio she pronounced that I now had a 'normal' body. Normal bodies sometimes get sore when you overdo it and can suffer from minor aches and pains.

At the moment I am dealing with two niggly residual problems: my right hip still has the tiniest bit of residual stiffness and my right hand as well (yes, hands can actually have tight muscles). Although these are minor issues compared with what I once faced, I find it difficult to actually do the last bit of physio to actually resolve them. It's much easier to just pop a few ibuprofen and perform a few perfunctory stretches and carry on with more interesting exercise like yoga and swimming (and yes, these are far more interesting exercise activities.)

So I do see why people are loathe to go see a physio for a small ache or pain -- it can seem like far too much effort.

But I know better. Small aches and pains turn into bigger ones and I am only setting myself back by ignoring when my body is telling me something's not quite right.

There's also some added questions at the moment, which include figuring out how often I should be doing my maintenance physio exercises and what type of more regular exercise is best for my body type. Sitting at a desk everyday and typing on my laptop in the evenings, not to mention blogging on my phone (as I am doing now!) mean I may need to strech out my body more than someone with a less sedentary job. And with a pesky hypermobile, or flexible, body (see my post What I Wish I Knew Then for some info on body types), I have to be careful about the exercise I do. Although I love Bikram yoga, I am starting to wonder if more than once a week may be more harmful than helpful to me specifically.

Don't get me wrong - I am not complaining - to even be able to worry about these questions is such a blessing. Years ago I used to take anti-inflammatories every four hours just to cope with the pain of working every day.

My quality of life has improved drastically -- as I write this I stand in an airport queue without the fear of what a flight and the subsequent driving holiday will do to my neck and shoulders.

So if you do have a niggly pain somewhere do get it sorted out, while it's still just a niggly one.

Related Posts:

• Physio For Life?
• No One Likes A Lecture
• Onwards And Upwards