On rest
Nearly everyone has experienced pain at some point in time, and often we are unsure as to what caused our symptoms to begin with. Daily life is busy and identifying the root cause of an issue is difficult. If symptoms persist beyond a day or two, we can be fairly certain the pain is not due to soreness and then begin to reason that if we just rest it will get better. Sometimes it does, sometimes we go see our physician and the recommendation is similar. Rest for a period of time and then go back to doing what you were doing. Rest has a place, but when it becomes the only intervention, or when it is not enough, we need additional strategies.
Rest is a necessary part of life, and I encourage people to utilize this strategy when appropriate. Many of my clients come to me fully exhausted, thinking they just need to work harder to get through whatever it is they are struggling with. That can be a time to employ some strategic rest. In the face of an injury, or slow growing pain, taking some time to regroup and let your body recover is needed. It should not be a long-term, isolated intervention, however. Acute and sub-acute injuries tend to require around two weeks to settle down and potentially six weeks to recuperate fully, with plenty of deviation between folks depending on their circumstances. After that initial phase has been completed, returning to movement and regular activities becomes paramount.
Investing for retirement is a strategy utilized by many, and during our lifetimes the markets express volatility. There are times when we are down in our investments and continuing to plod along can be difficult, but worthwhile. If we simply stopped investing entirely, our accounts would surely be limited in their growth potential. Returning to exercise and daily movements is the same. We cannot stop entirely and hope that will be enough to solve the issue. Allowing for things to settle down and then gradually getting back to what it is we want to do is important, and the earlier the better. Our bodies are made to move and restarting that process can be challenging but it is crucial. Finding a trustworthy and capable movement coach can be an invaluable resource as they can find the things you may or may not need to get back to where you want to be.
We have almost all dealt with pain of some kind. Rest can be a useful strategy for a period, however a return to movement and daily activities is of the utmost importance. A high-quality coach can be the right place to start in order to get the greatest return on your movement investment.
Austin Ulrich, Physical Therapist
