The role of inflammation within the body is one of the most misunderstood health problems in the modern world. We have been programmed to see this as “bad” and find ways to get rid of it as soon as possible using anti-inflammatory medication, ice, and rest. When in reality inflammation is a necessary process of the body to clear dead cells from injury sites, supply oxygen and nutrients to damaged tissue, and protect parts of the body from further damage. Finding ways to prevent this process from happening often leads to bigger problems and ongoing pain. Instead of trying to get rid of the pain there are four things you should focus on instead that will help you get to the root cause of your trouble and aid the body in healing itself.

My Personal Battle with Psoriatic Arthritis and Chronic Inflammation

If anyone knows about joint pain it is me. This past 12 months has been the most debilitating and painful time of my entire life as I battle with an auto-immune disease called Psoriatic Arthritis that has wreaked havoc on almost my entire body. This is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system begins to cause inflammation in the joints resulting in painful, stiff, and swollen joints.

I have had severe pain in my back, left knee, right hip, both shoulders, my feet, and most significantly in my left hand where two of my fingers have swollen right up making it extremely difficult to do even the simplest of daily tasks. My back was that bad a few times earlier this year I could barely walk or stand up for a few days. As you can imagine my exercise habits had to change considerably and as a result I lost a huge amount of strength and fitness. I am just a shadow of the person I was a year ago.

At first I thought my body needed to rest more and I thought this might help the body to heal itself, but in reality resting and more inactivity made things much worse and started to speed up the rate of destruction to my joints. I felt much better when I was able to move and especially in the colder months of winter I found my body was significantly better when it warmed up. The hard part was finding exercises I could do that did not aggravate me and adjusting my intensity to what I could do. To say I was frustrated was an understatement.

I was able to finally get a consultation with a rheumatologist and over the past 5 months they have been trying to find the best medications to help me get on top of my pain. This has been, and still is a difficult process to navigate, for the medications often have severe side effects and there is a constant balance between treating the disease and creating a new one. I am much better now than I was a few months ago but I am still suffering with swelling, stiffness, and pain.

During these past few months I spent considerable time trying to understand the role of inflammation and how many of the things we do contribute to making matters worse in the long term. All the treatments and information relating to Psoriatic Arthritis focused mainly on medication and the use of anti-inflammatory pills and cortisone injections to reduce the swelling and pain. While I undertook these treatments and am still using them, I knew that there had to be other things I could do myself with exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle changes.

I made many important changes to my diet with a strong focus on improving my gut health for I knew that over 70% of the immune system is in the digestive system. This is one reason why I wrote a detailed article about gut health earlier this year that included many of the things that I was doing. I would say that my gut health is the best it has ever been but I still suffer with many of the debilitating problems from the auto-immune disease.

I also knew that I needed to find a way to keep moving and find alternative ways to strengthen and stabilize my joints was something that minimized the destruction to my body. My typical workouts and preferred ways to exercise had to change for they were causing too much pain. I needed a new approach and this is where I research to see if there is a different perspective on things that may inspire me to try something different.

Four Things To Focus On Instead Of Reducing Pain

My research led me to read a book by Scott Hogan called “Built From Broken” and in this book there was a chapter that really struck a chord with me. In chapter 3 the author discussed four factors that people should focus on instead of trying to get rid of pain.

These four factors are.

1. Modulate inflammation
2. Resolve tendinopathy
3. Improve synovial fluid
4. Protect collagen health

Modulating inflammation basically means trying to control the amount of pain, as opposed to trying to remove or eliminate the pain. You don’t want to completely get rid of it for it is a natural process of the body that it needs to implement, you just want to prevent it from getting out of hand. A combination of rest, eating healthy foods, reducing stress, and trying to avoid things that aggravate the condition are good examples of this.

Resolving tendinopathy is quite a complex topic to discuss and something I will devote an entire article to as it is very important to understand. In simple language this means that you need to spend time strengthening and restoring function back to damaged tendons. At first they require rest and a time to heal but in a short amount of time they need to be strengthened to ensure the joints they support are protected. Joint destruction is often the end result of weakened and laxity in tendons and ligaments exposing the body to serious damage.

The last two points of Synovial fluid and collagen health related specifically to my problem but I could see the relevance of this with other people who were dealing with a similar problem caused by osteoarthritis pain.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition of the joints, which over time become painfully inflamed. If you have joint degeneration without pain, the condition is known as osteoarthrosis.

With both conditions there is deterioration of the joint ‘cartilage’ – a smooth substance that covers bone endings, allowing bones to glide over each other with minimal friction. Cartilage also cushions force as it is transmitted through the joints and when you have used it up, there is no way to create more!

Even though the pain the people with osteoarthritis were feeling was almost identical to what I was experiencing, the cause of this pain was much different. Also the role of synovial fluid is much different which I will explain shortly.

In most of these cases where the joint pain was constant and severe it was greatly limiting their ability to move in daily life. Some of these people were older adults who have lost considerable muscle and mobility and the onset of osteoarthritis is noticeable, but in other cases this same problem was apparent in much younger people. In all these cases a search for relief via anti-inflammatory medication and various ways to treating the symptoms were being used ongoing and likely to cause a much bigger problem.

This is where a vicious cycle begins and gradually progresses to a chronic long term problem.

Chronic Pain, Inflammation & Synovial Fluid Feedback Loop

Synovial fluid is the liquid that fills the empty space within your joints, providing lubrication and support. With auto-immune conditions the body tends to send excessive amounts of synovial fluid to the joint causing it to swell and become inflamed.

With osteoarthritis it is the exact opposite as there is a decrease in synovial fluid causing the joint to have this feeling of bones rubbing together as seen in the picture below.

The questions is how do cartilage cells die and lead to bone on bone arthritis?

The simple answer is that poor movement strategies used over long periods of time lead to destruction of the joint.

The longer answer is that joint instability from ligaments become weak and overstretched forces the body to send fluid into the joint in an attempt to correctly stabilize it from further damage. Once again it is the end result of poor movement strategies and destructive forces creating the instability resulting in extra fluid being pushed through small cracks in the articular cartilage. If the instability is left unchecked it eventually causes the knee cartilage and meniscal cells to drown to death.

Many people believe it is the osteoarthritis causing the pain and inflammation and that this is the end result of getting old. Both of these assumptions are false. Inactivity and poor movement causes the inflammation, not old age. The osteoarthritis is the end result of the pain, not the reason for it.

Read this article to see more about this – Reduce arthritis symptoms by improving bone density

Medical researchers in China teamed with doctors at  Rush University Medical Center and Drexel University to publish a January 2020 study in which they suggest that synovitis, or inflammation of the knee’s synovial membrane, precedes (comes before the erosion of the knee) and is associated with (the development of ) osteoarthritis. What the researchers suggest is that when you have a chronic or acute knee injury, enough to cause chronic or acute inflammation, osteoarthritis progression begins spontaneously.

Synovial macrophages are one of the resident cell types in synovial tissue and while they remain relatively quiet in a healthy joint, they become activated in the inflamed joint and begin to secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines and enzymes involved in driving the inflammatory response and joint destruction.

It is usually at this point that people start using anti-inflammatory medication all the time to relieve themselves of pain and unfortunately this starts the vicious cycle of pain and feedback loop. The picture below describes this ongoing loop perfectly.

This shows how a lack of synovial fluid causes the joints to grind together causing more inflammation and pain. The increased pain and inflammation leads to a reduction in mobility and range of motion with movement. As an end result the reduced mobility and pain leads to less movement and more inactivity that leads to even more pain and less synovial fluid. This cycle continues to repeat over and over until the condition is extremely chronic and debilitating.

It is vital that you understand that non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, inhibit the body’s repair processes and neglect the reason for the inflammation being there. NSAIDs are among the most commonly used drugs in the world for pain, yet have the potential for significant side effects to the liver, stomach, gastrointestinal tract, and heart. Additionally, they have no beneficial effect on cartilage, rather, they accelerate osteoarthritis, the very disease for which they are most often used.

The other treatment often used is where cortisone is injected into the joint to reduce inflammation and reduce the short term pain. Cortisone is a potent anti-inflammatory medication. It was only discovered as recently as 1950 (earning a Nobel Prize for medicine for Hench and his co-workers), and has been available in an injectable form since 1951. It acts on both acute and chronic phases of inflammation to reduce both tissue swelling and subsequent scar formation.

Cortisone injections are often used to treat common hip and shoulder problems such as bursitis and rotator cuff tears. Cortisone is a type of steroid and it helps to reduce pain in the affected joint by decreasing the inflammation. However, steroids also have some negative side effects. They inhibit the cells that can help repair damaged tissue and therefore may weaken tendons. Weakened tendons result in joint laxity and as we have already discussed this inevitably leads to joint destruction.

Cortisone has been shown, in many studies, to accelerate degenerative osteoarthritis through cartilage breakdown.

Over the years we have seen many patients who have received corticosteroid (cortisone) injections for joint pain. Unfortunately for many, excessive cortisone treatments lead to a worsening of chronic pain for the fail to address the reason the joint was inflamed in the first place. While it may provide some short term relief, the potential damage of leaving the joint unstable often leads to much bigger problems in the future.

What should you do instead?

It is impossible to give you an exact recipe for success, but if I was to break this down to the main points they would be.

1. Improve your diet, gut health, and maintain a healthy weight.
2. Avoid inactivity and try to move more often.
3. Learn to move correctly and apply stabilizing exercises.
4. Improve muscle strength and collagen levels.
5. Get adequate levels of sleep.

Let’s take a quick look at each of these factors.

Improving Your Diet and Gut Health

We all know that eating healthy foods is important yet its role is often ignored in the treatment of inflammation, osteoarthritis, and chronic pain. The right diet strengthens the gut in its role of fighting inflammation, improving overall health and well-being whereas a poor diet exacerbates small problems and turns them into big ones.

Eating a wide range of healthy foods can provide the body with the necessary tools it needs in order to repair damaged tissue and begin the healing process.

Just like exercise, there is no one size fits all approach to nutrition. What works well with one person may cause problems in another. Your best bet is to experiment with certain foods until you find what works. Eliminating processed foods, sugar, alcohol, and limiting your consumption of breads and dairy will often produce great results. However, this is only part of the battle as your body may still be nutrient deficient so you need to ensure you are eating the right foods to provide good gut bacteria, for if you remember from earlier your body cannot make this by itself. 

There are hundreds of species of bacteria in your intestines, each of which plays a specific role in health and requires different nutrients for growth.

The more diverse your diet is, the more species of bacteria you have and as a result the more health benefits they may be able to contribute to your body. A diet consisting of different food types has been shown to lead to a more diverse microbiome.

Unfortunately, most people eat a very plain diet of the same foods over and over and do not provide their gut with this diverse bacteria. Not only do many people eat a very small range of foods, the food they do eat is often rich in fat and sugar. Research shows that an estimated 75% of the world’s food is produced from only 12 plant and 5 animal species!

One of the best things you can do is start eating a wide range of vegetables, healthy fats, and protein.

Omega 3 fats and vegetables are some of the best foods you can eat if you are suffering with chronic inflammation which is a big reason the Keto diet is so successful with many people with diseases.

Fat assists in the health of the brain and nervous system, as well as regulating immune responses, liver function, and proper thyroid and adrenal activity. Just as with all foods, however, you must consume high-quality fats and oils for your body to effectively use them.

Vegetables are a much better choice of carbohydrates and I would focus your attention on these food groups. Green vegetables are a great food to include into your diet as they contain an array of anti-inflammatory properties you cannot find in any other food.

When we fail to take in enough antioxidants our body undergoes a greater degree of damaging oxidative stress. When we live in a constant state of oxidative stress it can lead to chronic inflammation and eventually disease. Green vegetables are useful in reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease since they are high in dietary fiber, and rich in folic acid, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium, as well as containing a host of other phytochemicals.

Also do not underestimate the value of drinking plenty of water and its relationship to osteoarthritis.

Your cartilage is made up of 65%-90% water and if you are dehydrated your joints can grind together causing more inflammation and joint destruction.

However, it is not just fighting inflammation for an improved diet can make a massive difference to your joints, especially your knees if you are overweight.

Losing Weight Takes Significant Pressure Off of Your Knees

Instead of popping anti-inflammatory pills to relieve knee pain, many people would find significant relief from losing weight. Before you say that you cannot do your cardio workouts to lose the weight, understand that most of the weight loss will come from improving your nutrition and eating habits.

Experts estimate that for every 1 pound you weigh, your knees feel the force of 3 pounds of pressure when you take a step.

This is not an exact formula as there are many other variables to consider, but as a general rule this is something to keep in mind.

1 lb bodyweight = 3 lb of pressure on your knees with every step you take. Walking up and down stairs will add more pressure and any physical activity like running or cycling will be even more. This means that if you lose 10 pounds of weight there will be 30 pounds less pressure per knee, per step.

When you consider how many steps you take each day this can very quickly add up to a significantly large number. If the average person takes about 5 to 6 thousand steps a day and you multiply this number by 10 pounds of bodyweight you will generate 150 thousand pounds of pressure on the knees per day!

Over a period of time the wear and tear and inevitable destruction to the joint is severe leading to ongoing pain and inflammation. Using pills to remove the inflammation and pain signal without addressing the extra weight that is causing it is pointless.

While your pain and inflammation may limit your ability to exercise, it does not limit your ability to control your diet. Many people would experience a significant reduction in their pain by focusing on improving their nutrition habits and losing some weight. Also the benefits to your overall health of your body cannot be overstated and the risk of developing a more serious health condition from being overweight is another great reason to lose weight.

When you consider the amount of people who are overweight or obese you can begin to see how many of these people are also very likely suffer with debilitating knee pain in the future if they do not already have pain.

According to the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare, in 2017–18, 2 in 3 (67%) of Australians aged 18 and over were overweight or obese. Put another way, approximately 12.5 million adults were overweight or obese. About 1 in 3 (36%) adults were overweight but not obese, and about 1 in 3 (31%) were obese. About 1 in 9 (12%) adults were severely obese, which were defined in this report as having a BMI of 35 or more.

Reference:

• ABS 2018b. Table 16: Children's Body Mass Index, waist circumference, height and weight - Australia [Data cube]. National Health Survey: First results, 2017–18. Canberra: ABS. Viewed 8 October 2020.
• ABS 2018a. Table 8: Body Mass Index, waist circumference, height and weight - Australia [Data cube]. National Health Survey: First results, 2017–18. Canberra: ABS. Viewed 8 October 2020.

You will find the articles in the links below provide you with a ton of additional information and ideas about eating healthy foods to help you lose weight and fight inflammation.

• To build a healthy body you need a solid foundation
• How to use the keto diet to improve your health
• A healthy gut equals a healthy body

Avoid Inactivity and Make an Effort to Move More Often

One of the worst things you can do is remain inactive and sit all day. Cartilage thickness is maintained for a long time when we keep moving for it is movement itself that keeps the joints lubricated and prevents synovial fluid loss.

Sitting at a desk all day reduces your synovial fluid concentration and if you have long periods of resting the joints they will become stiff and less mobile. This in turn leads to a reduction of hyaluronic acid within the synovial fluid and inhibits the body’s ability to clear inflammatory compounds.

It is vital you keep moving, however make sure you do not complete movements that aggravate you. Walking is one of the best exercises you can do and it has been well documented how effective this simple movement can be for people with back pain.

With every step you take, your arms, hips, and surrounding muscles activate in perfect harmony to complete their role in the movement.

"Each step is a series of small muscle contractions that work to keep the pelvis from sinking down on one side and bending the spine". - Dr Stuart McGill

When you walk, the health of your back muscles is improved in the following ways.

• Increases blood flow. Decreased physical activity can cause the small blood vessels of your spine to become constricted, reducing blood flow to the spinal muscles. Walking helps open up the blood vessels, increasing the supply of oxygen and nutrients to these muscles.
• Flushes out toxins. Muscles produce physiologic toxins when they contract and expand. Over time, these toxins can accumulate within the lower back muscle tissues and cause stiffness. Walking helps flush out these toxins and improve flexibility.

However, sometimes walking can be difficult and even cause problems for some people who have severe knee or hip pain so finding other ways to keep moving is essential. In this case you can focus on using simple exercises that target your hips and glutes as seen in the video below.

The take home message here is to find ways to keep moving.

Use of stand-up desks, taking the stairs instead of the lift, parking your car in the furthest car space instead of the closest one are other great examples of maintaining more movement. Using Fit-bits or smartwatches with pedometer tracking are great tools to help motivate you to move. Small amounts of regular activity, even just standing and moving around throughout the day is a great start.

Those small amounts of activity add up – scientists have suggested that 30 minutes of light activity in two or three-minute bursts could be just as effective as a half-hour block of exercise.

Read the article - Move more and sit less to see more about this.

Learn to Move Correctly and Improve Joint Stability

This next point is much more difficult to implement and may take considerable time, but make no mistake this is arguably the most important part of the process when talking about osteoarthritis pain.

I have seen many cases where a person came to see me in pain and during our assessment we found not one area that had a length tension imbalance, they passed our core stability tests, yet when they moved they were very stiff and used poor technique. Especially with squats, single leg squats, lunges and bending. The problem is with the brain the nervous system using an ineffective movement pattern.

Stiffness could also be a result of poor stability in this movement pattern. You might not see it in the lunge but it comes up in the squat. This person knows only one way to move, and until the brain is shown a better way it will continue to use the motor program it knows the most.

This is why you MUST ALWAYS LEARN HOW TO MOVE CORRECTLY.

Before I go on make sure you download a copy of our Free Report on Functional Training below as this gives you all the key movements and programs in great detail so you can begin improving your movements.

When people look to get in shape they believe that moving well will just happen. All they have to do is get out there and get it done and the body will fix itself. Unfortunately it won’t. And movement problems will only get worse when compounded by frequency and volume of training.

When the body is challenged with a movement it will do anything it can to find the path of least resistance and most importantly avoid pain. In the case of a stressful situation where you have to execute a movement not familiar to you this is vital so that your body will complete the task as best as it can. The brain is so smart it will just figure things out on its own to create a version of movement it feels it can handle.

In the book “Movement” by Gray Cook he makes a note of how many things a beginner to exercise may have to contend with when learning how to exercise. The brain will be firing multiple commands that are operating in the background such as;

• Avoid positions that are restrictive
• Avoid unfamiliar movements
• Avoid pain and stress
• Compensate and substitute where possible
• Compromise movement quality to gain movement quantity where needed
• Conserve energy where possible
• Do not rely on positions of weakness or instability
• Take the path of least resistance
• Seek comfort and pleasure

The only way to prevent this compensation taking a hold of your movements is to spend time learning how to execute the key movement patterns correctly.

It can be very difficult to execute various movements that will strengthen the muscles supporting the knee and a thorough assessment is essential to identify mobility restrictions, muscle weaknesses, and dysfunctional movement patterns that are contribute to the joint/s not being stabilized correctly.

Knees are exposed to tremendous pain and problems whenever they are forced into a twisting or bend sideways, (eg ACL tear) known as valgus or varus, and lastly if they hyper-extend. This joint is more or less a hinge, it cannot twist and rotate itself, and it cannot bend the other way either. The knee needs to have some mobility which many people lose through tight quadriceps and hip muscles, but it needs a great deal of STABILITY to prevent the dangers of twisting and rotating that will ruin the knee.

To prevent this article going for another 10,000 words refer to the articles in the links below that outline the various exercise strategies you will need to use in this stage.

• How to complete a knee pain assessment
• What causes knee pain?
• How to strengthen the VMO and improve knee stability in 5 steps

Improve Muscle Strength & Collagen Levels

This is an interesting topic to discuss for many would be well aware of the benefit of adding muscle to improve joint stability, but not many people would know about the value of collagen.

Collagen is the second most abundant substance in the human body (water is number one). It provides structural support for our organs and soft tissue and as you age your body produces less collagen. By age 60 your body produces 50% less collagen which is related to saggy skin, aching joints, and muscle tissue loss. We cannot change the aging process but we can prevent it from accelerating or beginning too early in our body due to inactivity or injury.

Our joints and muscles are bound together by connective tissue. This connective tissue consists of tendons, ligaments, cartilage, intramuscular, and fascia.

When we apply muscular force we tend to think it is all due to the muscle fibres contracting, when in reality a lot of this has to do with the ability of connective tissue to transfer the force. Research indicates it is as much as 80% of muscular force transfers to the connective tissue.  Connective tissue acts like a shock absorber to the joints, the more we have the better. All of these connective tissues are all primarily made of type 1 collagen.

If collagen is so important how do you improve it?

Well this is where it gets interesting for the best way to improve collage levels is all about how fast you move when applying force.

If you lift weights with deliberate slow movements you can improve the strength of individual collagen fibres and allow your body to rebuild much stronger and resilient connective tissue structures. This is extremely important for those suffering with chronic joint pain and osteoarthritis for it can be enough to restore stability to the joint improving mobility and function.

This is where you can use various strength training methods such as isometric and eccentric training.

Isometric training is when force is applied to a muscle/s but the muscle length is not changed. For example a wall squat or holding a push-up is an example of an isometric contraction.

When normal exercise hurts isometric exercises can be a great way to improve muscular strength without aggravating the injury or compressing a damaged tendon as you only work in partial ranges and limited mobility.

Eccentric training is where the muscle lengthens under load or tension. This is where you are often in the lowering or descending phase of an exercise. For example if you slowly lower a dumbbell during a bicep curl the bicep is under load while it is being forced to lengthen. This type of training often brings on the muscle soreness known as DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) over the following days.

This type of training creates more muscular force than any type of training and most people are about 30% stronger during an eccentric phase of movement. It also produces the largest increase in muscle fibre length making it a great way to increase flexibility. When it is used correctly eccentric training is a vital part of injury and rehabilitation training and is used a lot in sports for injury prevention.  Nearly all injuries in sports occur during the eccentric phase of movement such as landing from a jump.

The beauty of both of these methods is that you do not need to use very heavy loads to facilitate a strength increase and you can ensure it is targeted at exactly the area you want. This makes it much easier to work with and safer for the person who is dealing with pain to complete.

Slowing down your resistance training tempo is the best way to strengthen tendons and improve collagen metabolism.

The picture below shows an example of an isometric single leg squat. The load is kept to just the body-weight to allow full range of motion and the ability to hold the position for long periods of time. By using a TRX strap it prevents instability and balance becoming a huge factor. This type of exercise is extremely useful in the early stages of rehabilitation.

Another critical benefit of isometric and eccentric exercise is its ability to align the collagen fibres correctly within your connective tissue. Healthy collagen tissue creates a cross weaving type of pattern creating a stronger structure for movement, whereas abnormal weaving is weak and prone to re-injury.

This is often where scar tissue interferes with the process after the injury to heal correctly. This could be linked to continually moving poorly, poor nutrition, and lack of quality rest. Until the scar tissue is replaced with healthy cells full recovery is unlikely and constant reinjuring is likely.

Now before you think you should only complete slow movements with light weights you still need to move fast and also with heavier loads. Both of these speeds will increase significant muscular strength and more importantly bone density. Also many movements need to be executed at faster speeds to ensure their efficiency such as jumping, agility training, or throwing movements. The key is to know when to use them. In the beginning eccentric and isometric is best before increasing load and speed as you improve.

Make Sure You Get Adequate Rest & Quality Sleep

Many people think we shut down at night but it is the exact opposite, the body's digestive system is in hyper-drive at night as it uses this time to repair damage cells and tissue caused from activities during the day. If our sleep is compromised so is our ability to heal our body and is why people with poor sleep are more likely suffer with serious illness and disease.

Only one night of sleep loss can elevate inflammatory levels in the body. If your sleep is constantly deprived of quality and quantity your body will remain in a state of chronic inflammation and pain. Our bodies are designed to follow the movement of the sun, moon and the earth. This is called circadian rhythm. When light stimulates our skin or eyes our hormonal system thinks it is daylight and releases a stress hormone called cortisol which is activated to prepare our body for movement, work and whatever we need to do in daily life.

The infographic above provides some simple tips on how to improve your sleep. If you are really struggling with this I suggest to see a qualified therapist for assistance. Stress is often a big part of the puzzle and trying to resolve this can be extremely difficult to do on your own.

You may also want to check out the 2 articles below that provide some great tips of how we help our clients to improve their sleep and reduce stress.

• Why sleeping is so important to our health
• How to overcome and reduce stress to improve your health and fitness

Do You Need More Help?

If you currently suffer with knee, back or shoulder injuries you will find our online programs shown below a great resource that take you through all of the assessments and corrective exercises to get you back to full strength and out of pain. You will find a lot of the exercises in the first phases of the rehab programs feature several of the relief exercises discussed in this article.

Summary

Chronic inflammation and pain can be extremely debilitating and it is easy to fall into the trap of trying to get rid of the pain and treat the symptoms to get some relief. While the short term gain seems like a good idea it can come back to ruin you later in life if you fail to ignore the reason for the pain in the first place.

The biggest take away from this article in my view is the importance of improving collagen levels and overall muscular strength using a smarter approach to your strength training methods. Starting with choosing the right exercise and then using slow tempos to increase the strength and stability of the connective tissue and joints can be a real game changer.

I know for my own body this enabled me to regain some control of the multiple areas of my body that were reacting in chronic pain. I had to remain patient for I did not see any immediate results but the efforts were well worth it in the end as I am now starting to move much more efficiently again.

For more ideas and information on specific topics I may not have covered in detail be sure to check out our INDEX PAGE on the website that has over 300 of our best articles. These are all sorted into categories for quick reference so you can find what you are after more easily. You can also subscribe to our FREE fortnightly newsletter by clicking here.

If you do need specific help with your exercise program please feel free to reach out to me for help and we can set you up with your individualised program.

About The Author

Nick Jack is owner of No Regrets Personal Training and has over 16 years’ experience as a qualified Personal Trainer, Level 2 Rehabilitation trainer, CHEK practitioner, and Level 2 Sports conditioning Coach. Based in Melbourne Australia he specialises in providing solutions to injury and health problems for people of all ages using the latest methods of assessing movement and corrective exercise.

References:

• Built From Broken - Scott Hogan CPT, COES
• Movement - By Gray Cook
• Corrective Exercise Solutions - by Evan Osar
• Back Pain Mechanic - by Dr Stuart McGill
• Diagnosis & Treatment Of Movement Impairment Syndromes - By Shirley Sahrman
• Low Back Disorders - by Dr Stuart McGill
• Ultimate Back Fitness & Performance - by Dr Stuart McGill
• Core Stability - by Peak Performance
• Athletic Body in Balance - by Gray Cook
• Anatomy Trains - by Thomas Meyers
• Motor Learning and Performance - By Richard A Schmidt and Timothy D Lee
• Assessment & Treatment Of Muscle Imbalance - By Vladimir Janda
• How To Eat, Move & Be Healthy by Paul Chek
• Scientific Core Conditioning Correspondence Course - By Paul Chek
• Advanced Program Design - By Paul Chek
• Twist Conditioning Sports Strength - By Peter Twist
• Twist Conditioning Sports Movement - By Peter Twist
• Functional Training For Sports - By Mike Boyle