What Role Is Pain Playing In Your Life?

I've been a Personal Trainer for almost 9 years.

My interest in the gym began in high school, but it transformed into my passion in college. I was a gym rat, and I had a personality and reputation inside the gym at ESCU of being a skinny dude who could move weight.

I was simultaneously studying for my degree and practically applying what I was learning inside the gym within my own training - which most students under different majors don't get to do until they get an internship or enter the workforce. Looking back, I consider myself lucky to have gotten that juncture.

I learned a tremendous amount during my years at school, however one thing that was not once touched upon was managing pain.

Pain is an almost infinitely complex phenomena.

Good luck deciphering this one

This didn't stop me from following my curiosity. I've spent the better part of my years in this field studying and trying to understand pain, it's causes, how to manage it, and possibly solve it.

Over the years, I've come to learn that pain is a signal from our body that _____ area of our body does not feel safe and secure. It's lacking trust.

Think of it like this.

You're a parent with young kids, and they want to play outside, so they go into the backyard to play. You have things to do so you trust them to play within an area where you can call for them and they'd respond.

An hour passes, you call your kids from within the house and they yell back letting you know they're safe and having fun. You feel good and get back to your day.

Another hour passes, it's time for them to come in so you call for them again.

No answer.

You raise your voice a bit.

Again, no answer.

Your heart drops and your stomach begins to twist as you head towards the back door. You get outside and they're nowhere in sight. Now your thoughts are turning for the worst. You're starting to sweat and panic.

You run by the side of the house to check the front yard. Still nothing so you head into the street.

Finally, you find them playing a few blocks down with a neighbor and their dog. All the adverse feelings and thoughts begin to fade as your reality comes back into focus.

This is how our body communicates.

Our central nervous system is constantly checking in on all parts of our physical body to check in that they're playing safely in the backyard (our joints, and the surrounding muscles and tissues, functioning well).

When the central nervous system fails to receive good news (no response of safety), then the inherent trust that our nervous system has to move freely and without restricion is compromised, and the response is physical pain.

This pain is the biological response for us to pay closer attention to what's going on in that area.

Just as a parent might rush to find their kids, our body rushes to supply pain to the area that's compromised.

Why is this important?

Understanding that your pain comes from a lack of trust between your brain and your joints/muscles, and that to rid yourself of said pain you must reestablish trust, you now have a road to freedom.

What does this road look like?

Despite it always being unique to the individual, it comes down to how you move. Anyone can squat, it's how you squat. Anyone can do a push-up, it's how you do the push-up.

And this is one of the responsibilities of being your coach, providing skills to guide you (and your body) into better and better positions that, over time, have the ability to change the way you move and feel.

And who doesn't want to move and feel better?