Microtrauma

Hi everyone! I have had a significant amount of questions that revolve around every day aches and pains. Most of you have experienced (or will experience pain) with a common every day movement!

So today- I am going to break down some of the most common types of every day pain and why we see them.

Microtrauma

The first thing we are going to talk about is Microtrauma. Microtrauma is a term for small injuries that build up over time. It also includes repetitive injuries as well.

For example: if you have a small injury right now, it might not be a big deal. You may notice a twinge- but you move out of that position and continue on with your life. Then it happens again. You notice the pain but can keep going. Over time, these small pains build up into a larger issue that gets worse and worse. Now this pain is hard to ignore and is almost a part of your regular, daily life.

A little pain can become a large issues that affect how you spend time with your family or rest comfortably at night.

If we continue to have pain and poor movement- it generally leads to MORE pain and less movement. And then I generally see you in my clinic!

But how do you know you are moving wrong or potentially causing pain?

Well- if a certain activity causes you discomfort- you might be doing it wrong OR you might be doing it wrong for your body. It is really common for people to assume that there is one form for all types of movement (like 1 way to do a squat) and that is the only way they should be performing it. But that is simply not true. Every body is slightly different and you may need a a change to make a movement (squat, lunge, picking up a car seat, etc.) optimal for your body.

This applies to literally every movement that you do.

So if you realize that your back hurts every other time you are doing the dishes, or picking up your kiddo then we probably need to talk about how you are doing that!

Common Microtraumas

So first is neck pain!

There are lots of different reasons why you could be experiencing neck pain. But I want to highlight a few movements that are common culprits!

• Poor neck angles during Makeup Application or Shaving

• Text Neck- y’all look up! Move your phone, laptop or book (yes- those still exist) UP TO EYE LEVEL when using them!

Shoulders-

Pain here tends to be more related to over-head activities. If you don’t have the right strength and stability, lifting objects over your head can result in shoulder pain (and even neck pain)!

Elbow-

I get a lot of patients complaining of tennis elbow from overuse. This tends to occur during sporting activities, but it is also pretty common for individuals who do a lot of twisting motions of the wrist/forearm (like using a screwdriver) for work.

Wrists-

I get complaints of wrist pain, and numbness/tingling that travels into the fingers. This can be coming from your neck positioning and/or it can be coming from something as simple as how you are set up at your work station (how your computer and chair are set up). If your elbows aren’t supported and the wrists are pushed way back, that puts a lot of pressure where the nerves run through- this can create pain.

Upper back-

Y’all, your posture does matter! When we don’t work on staying up right, the front chest muscles get tight while our back muscles get weak and they can’t do their job. After a while, the neck even gets involved so that it can keep your head upright (which might cause pain later). AND it affects your shoulders and how well they work which can cause pain and dysfunction there. Y’all see where I am going with this microtrauma thing? Over time- it all adds up.

Lower back-

A lot of this type of pain comes from lifting, general movement, and definitely for your squatting form. Proper form applies to simple things like when you are loading the dishwasher, putting your groceries in or out of the car, lifting kiddos. Squatting is important y’all! And if you have been told that you can’t squat ever again- that’s nuts. Its such a common movement that you HAVE to be able to perform a proper one! If you don’t know what this looks like- let me know! I have SEVERAL videos on the matter!

Knee pain- (it is so common!)

I get a lot of “I have arthritis” or “my knees are bone on bone”. Those are legitimate diagnoses but y’all- everyone over the age of 25 has arthritis! If you are having pain, there are lots of ways we can address it and alter the forces going through the joint that can cause pain.

Ankles-

For a lot of you workout warriors, you have rolled an ankle at some point and probably didn’t let it fully heal before getting back out there! Most exercise requires complex movements and can cause instability and pain (when the ankles aren’t properly healed). Ankle braces are pretty common to allow you to workout- but don’t let it be a requirement for the rest of your life!

The last common microtrauma is Plantar Fasciitis.

This is commonly related to calf tightness and your ankle bones not being aligned properly. On top of that, most people have weak toes and need some soft tissue work (arch massage, anyone). There is a lot that goes into it!

So these are the common microtraumas that I see- if this was helpful for you, let me know! Don’t forget to monitor what is causing you little pain so that you can address it before it becomes something larger!

If you need more information- hit me up! I would be happy to help! I have free consultations (with your name on it) so we can figure out your pain and how to best address it!

Talk to you soon!

Dr. Paige

Owner/Physical Therapist for Recharged Performance Therapy

Paige@RechargedPerformanceTherapy.com

(321) 802-1630