What if…you could exercise without pain? How great would that be? To have pain no longer be an excuse you use to avoid exercise. This is an idea, a wish held by millions of people each and every day. So why is it that more people are unable to exercise without pain? Simply put…avoidance.

Every day millions of people live in pain. They suffer through work, strain through regular household activities, and do what they must for family before taking care of themselves. They will avoid exercise because they think it might make them worse. But this can only last so long. Eventually there will be a tipping point at which time they can no longer take it. But where is this line? How much must they be hurting before seeking help? Far too often this is only answered after weeks or months of suffering. After it reaches the point where they can no longer sleep, and they finally come to the realization that pain

medication is not working.

But what should they do? Who should they see for their muscle or joint problem?

Well…this is where you have a few choices. Certainly you could visit your PCP, who is likely to provide more meds, tell you to wait and see what happens, maybe they suggest an image because they don’t know what is wrong, or send you to an orthopedic. Likely not the answer most are looking for.

You could head straight to an orthopedic. You are guaranteed an x-ray before you even see a provider. More often than not it does not tell anyone how to treat you. And before you get up in arms about arthritis- great everyone over age 40 has it. We don’t need an x-ray to tell us what we already know is there. And millions live with arthritis every day and do not have pain so there is not a 1-to-1 connection between arthritis and pain. You will likely get a decent physical exam, but if the problem is not truly surgical then options are medication, an injection, or referral to physical therapy.

Finally, you could head straight to a physical therapist. These healthcare providers are the experts in conservative muscle and joint management. They are able to evaluate, diagnosis, and treat muscle and joint conditions and are focused on returning you to the activities that you love…like exercise. They will guide you to improve your strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, and endurance as needed to help you return to safe exercise.

There is no more need to wonder what if…you could exercise without pain again. The answer is right here. Make the call to the right healthcare provider today and begin the process back to being able to exercise without pain.