Why Most Injuries Don’t Just “Happen”

In my conversations with friends and family lately, the topic of injuries keeps popping up. A pulled muscle while reaching for something on a high shelf, achy joints, or chronic low back pain – all of the “usual” things as we’ve been getting older. While all of these aches and pains seem spontaneous, they’re actually the culmination of something more. 

We like to blame our injuries on how they happened – for example, reaching for something at a funny angle or walking on hard surfaces. But the real reason is likely due to something that you have been doing for years (or not doing), without even thinking about it. This lack of body awareness has consequences, which is why I’m so grateful that I found Pilates. 

Pilates Was My Lightbulb Moment

When I started doing Pilates, I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought it was another fitness class, and I’d be getting a workout. But as I dove deeper into Pilates and became more aware of my body, I saw that I had slowly been injuring myself without even knowing it. I’m not talking big, crazy injuries, but those smaller ones that kept popping up. What was causing my problems? 

• Lack of awareness of how I was holding myself throughout the day, from sitting on my spin bike, standing, or holding my daughter.
• Following fitness “rules” that I had been taught, such as limiting my range of motion in some exercises. It was meant to avoid injury, but now I know that it would have been completely safe and beneficial to move further. 
• Doing the exercises that I enjoyed and was good at, while avoiding the ones that I found difficult. They were difficult for me because my body was weak in those areas, and by avoiding them it created further imbalances. 

Can you think of movements or activities that you have (or haven’t) been doing for years that may have contributed to an injury that you now have? Or have you been chalking it up to old age or some other arbitrary reason? 

Just Because You Exercise Doesn’t Mean You’re Exempt

Even if you exercise regularly, injuries can still happen to you if you’re not aware of how your whole body works together. A friend of mine decided to play women’s league soccer after about fifteen years of not playing. She didn’t think anything of joining – she’d maintained her fitness, played years of soccer into her 20’s, and ran track as a teen. Well, just a few games in, she started suffering achilles pain in both legs, which led to months of physiotherapy. 

She was frustrated, and her first thought was to blame the artificial turf for being too hard to run on. Then she blamed her age. But the actual reason for her leg pain? The heels that she wore every day to work. She loved her high heels, and could even run in them! Unfortunately, our feet are not meant to be in that position for years. She even did Pilates once a week, but it wasn’t enough to undo the damage her heels were causing. In class she would get terrible cramping in her calves and feet because she was so tight. 

You CAN Feel Better

Being “fit” in one area doesn’t translate to the whole body (unfortunately). What we do every day impacts us, as does what we don’t do; regular stretching, for example. Our bodies are designed to have a full range of motion, with balanced strength throughout. When mobility, strength, and flexibility imbalances build up, our body lets us know by showing up as an injury. 

Quick – give your body a scan. How are you sitting? Slouched? Do you always cross the same leg over the other? Can you cross the other, or is it too tight? Do you think that how you are sitting could be affecting your neck, back, or hips?

Even as a fitness professional, I wasn’t aware of what I was doing on repeat that was leading to my injuries. Once I discovered Pilates, I learned to move better and with more awareness. It taught me to tackle my least favourite exercise head on, even if it means that I feel like a beginner, weak, or frustrated. And those aches and pains and injuries that magically happened? They started to go away. The best part? Pilates helps them to stay away. 

“Do the best you can until you know better.  Then when you know better, do better.”

– Maya Angelou. 

One of my favourite things to hear is when a client tells me how they realized that they’d been doing something that was actually causing them pain, and how they learned to correct it. 

Are you ready to do better for your body?