If you have recently started exercising again or increased how much you are exercising you may be feeling a bit sore and have a few niggles. Chances are there was a rapid increase in your activity levels. Your mind was willing and ready but your musculoskeletal system was a couple of steps behind you.
What is causing the pain?
While exercising, your body is undergoing physiological changes in the form of microscopic tears in your muscles. This essentially shows your body is adapting and becoming stronger and more resilient to a stimulus (ie. running). If you start to exercise after a long period of being sedentary, your body is not as conditioned as it used to be. A de-conditioned body puts you at higher risk for developing aches and pains while exercising. Increasing your exercise faster than your body can adapt leads to damage to soft tissues which results in symptoms of pain or possibly muscle strains.
What to do to decrease pain/niggles while increasing your training:
We recommend taking an integrated training approach towards exercise which includes; flexibility training (stretching), strength and balance training, and cardio training. This will give your body time to build strength and allow time for healing and repair of soft tissues while targeting a range of different body systems. Remember, if you are starting to exercise again, be kind to your body and slowly build up the amount of activity you participate in over time. This will give you the best chance of avoiding injury!
