Is Your Body Ready for a Tune Up?

We’re not wasting any time this month, quiz time!

Grab a pen and write down your answers to these questions:

1.  What is considered “good” blood pressure?

2.  What is considered “good” eyesight?

3.  What is considered “good” movement?

No seriously, go back and write your answers in. Alright, how’d you do? Typically, blood pressure we’d want to be around 120/80. Typically, “good” eyesight is considered 20/20. Typically, “good” movement…(cricket, cricket). Historically, we just don’t do a great job of measuring movement on a regular basis. When was the last time you did anything physical at your yearly physical? Most commonly, we wait until we’ve already been injured until we test our our movement…maybe there is a better way?

Painful Yarns by G. Lorimer Moseley is an excellent book that explains pain and how we think about/deal with our pain. Analogies about pain are sprinkled throughout the book but one in particular really stood out to me. You’re driving down the road in your trusty 1991 light blue Honda Civic (everyone remembers their first car, right?). You pull up to a stop light and the engine starts making a noise somewhere between nails on a chalkboard and a less than desirable grinding. You look around to see who else can hear the noise and just as any responsible person would do…you roll down the windows and crank up the radio. Ahhh, can’t hear that noise anymore, better! Get wherever you’re headed, park that trusty Civic and carry on with your day.

Many times, we end up taking the same approach with our body. We ignore, alter, or modify our aches and pains. “My back isn’t that bad, as long as I take my Aleve, I can garden as long as I like!” Not that Aleve is a bad thing, and can be a very helpful part of an entire treatment plan, but does that sound that much different than: “My car isn’t that bad, as long as I open my windows and crank up the radio to drown out that engine noise, I can drive as long as I like!”

At Choice, we feel that the most empowering and beneficial part of Physical Therapy is gaining an understanding of how your body is supposed to be moving and how YOUR body may be compensating. From there, we can gameplan what type of “regular maintenance” you can perform on your body. Then you don’t have to keep driving around with your windows down and radio cranked up and you can get back to living your life.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!

Joe