It’s no secret that with an active lifestyle comes some aches and pains. It’s like growing up when your parents told you that you were experiencing “growing pains” - as you add more activity, new activity, or mix up your activity, the likelihood of “growing pains” and sometimes injury increases. I’m not telling you things you don’t know, I realize. I’m also not here to preach. I’m here to share experience, plain and simple.
Those who aren’t new to my scene know I love my yoga practice. To this day, I will tell you that if you are a yogi and find yourself in the Dallas area, you must do your body a favor and experience hands-down the most gifted yoga instructor under which I’ve ever practiced. Ms. Suze. DISCLAIMER: I’m recommending her, not necessarily endorsing the studio website! I digress.
I won’t go into detail, but I have been under the care of three different chiropractors in the last four years and yes, I’m a fan. It works for me, it’s not for everyone. When I went through the Big D, and don’t mean Dallas, I developed chronic low back pain that yoga paired with chiropractic treatments just didn’t seem to ease; not surprisingly we carry the stress of relationships and finances in this region. When I sought Suze’s advice, she introduced me to quite possibility the best treatment my body has ever had: Active Release Techniques. To my knowledge, not a ton of people know it even exists.
In a nutshell, the technique combines massage, stretching, as well as hot/cold therapy. The basic idea is repairing soft muscle tissues’ overuse so that adjustments are needed less frequently, as the muscles around the joints are released of strain. Needless to say, I’m low back pain free!
Lately, I’ve advanced some of my yoga poses and paid a small price by the name of muscle spasm. Thanks, jerk. At one point it was so bad I bypassed ART and went to the GP. She told me I had slipped rib syndrome and to take it easy - no improvement. My local ART therapist treated me twice during the course of two months and worked what ended up being a muscle spasm trapped between some ribs, out of existence.
Bottom line, in addition to stretching and attending yoga, but not pushing too hard, you may find times when you need some extra support. Clearly, if I think something might be serious, I’m going to the doctor. But to help me through some of my activity “growing pains” I dig on ART therapy! Hit me with questions or local recommendations.
