Ouch! My New Fitness Routine is Amping up My Back Pain

We are halfway through January. How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions? Some people find that as they ramp up their fitness and health routines they either become more aware of pain or they discover new pains.  So what's got you off course?

• Is back pain stopping you?
• Is shoulder pain stopping you?  
• Is knee pain stopping you?

We'll come back to what you can do but first here's my story: In my 20s, while in Graduate School I decided I was going to get in shape. I was living on a tight budget at the time and running seemed like a low cost way to get started. I had run cross country briefly in high school, surely I could just get back out there. I started slowly, increasing my distance a little each run. One day while running on a gravel trail, I experienced an excruciating pain just below my right knee. I tried to run through it and couldn’t. I hobbled home and begrudgingly accepted defeat and decided running wasn’t meant to be. Some 20 years later after completing Acupuncture school and with a much greater grasp of Anatomy and Physiology, it occurred to me I didn’t have to hang up my running shoes. When the injury happened, I didn’t know better. I assumed if there was pain it wasn’t meant to be. The Acupuncturist in me realized that pain was simply a tight ITB issue that could easily have been addressed with the right therapies.  I want you to know, if you’ve got some aches and pains and you’re wondering if you can keep your resolution, YOU CAN! There a lots of Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, Yoga Therapists, Personal Trainers out there to help you address the pain so you can stay committed to what’s important. You’ve got this!