At best, joint pain is downright frustrating. The pain can make it tough to do everyday activities, let alone exercise. So, what are the common mistakes people make when they experience joint pain?

1. Stop Doing Everything – The worst thing you can do if you have a problem is to stop all activity and hope that the pain you feel will get better. Most of the time, the exact opposite will happen. Our bodies are made to move. Although it might seem logical to be still when movement causes pain, the better solution is to address the pain and find ways to move that don’t cause you pain. Initially, you will feel better while not doing anything—but you can’t “rest” forever. When you return to your normal activity, you’ll quickly find that your original pain is still the same, or maybe worse. A trained professional can help you to determine how to address your pain and what activities you can still do in the mean time.  

2. Ignore It Altogether – Many people will try to ignore pain with the hope that it will simply go away. The old adage of “I’ll be alright” really means “I’m going to have a big problem later on.” Pain is an indicator that something is wrong; it’s your body’s way of saying “Help me, I have a problem.” For a short period of time, you may be able to get by with ignoring your pain. Your body can learn to work around pain, but will change the way that you function and move in the process. In the long run, working around pain and living with it can cause what was once a simple problem to be much more complex and involved. Your best bet is to address what is causing your pain right away, so that you’re not dealing with something that affects your body globally. Coming to understand what is wrong, and a focused effort to fix it, will pay dividends down the road. 

3. Cover Up the Pain with Drugs – Anti-inflammatory medications and pain relievers will give us temporary relief, but most of the time, they don’t fix what’s actually wrong. Often, these medications mask the pain so well that they allow us to do things that we shouldn’t do given the true circumstance. Once again, we can end up with a problem that is bigger than what we started with. And similar to the other scenarios, the best course of action is to get a real understanding of what is wrong, and find out what can be done to treat it. Often, it can be as simple as engaging in regular stretching, corrective exercises, and strength training. Having a trained pair of eyes to look at your problem will help you to understand exactly what you need to do to resume your daily activities in a pain-free manner and without the assistance of pain medications.

If you have joint pain, don’t be caught making these mistakes – get the help that you need!

At Success Studio, we specialize in fitness programs that are designed to address joint pain and help you return to a pain-free life. We also work with many physical therapy groups to design a comprehensive exercise program comprised of corrective exercises and stretches, and strength training to improve motion, flexibility and muscle tone around the joint.

If you need help getting your pain free movement back, let us help you get started on the path to recovery.