Ryan Maxwell of Fluid Fitness talks about common areas of pain within the body, and how to alleviate that pain and regain body mobility.

All of us, at one point or another, have poor posture or lack activity. On the other hand, some of us may be overactive or do repetitive motions. Whichever applies to you, chances are you may experience some common bodily discomfort in one of these areas: shoulder pain, sciatic pain, and pain in the heel. 

Understanding your body is important for overall health. The first step to that is understanding how these types of pain can occur, and simple ways to reduce the pain, and gain body mobility.

Learning about Shoulder Pain 

Shoulder pain can be caused by many factors. It can be a result of an acute injury to the shoulder or can develop over time as more of a “wear and tear” with no particular mechanism of injury. Acutely traumatic shoulder injuries and pain should be treated differently than chronic or postural-related shoulder injuries.

Some of the most common causes of non-acute shoulder pain are related to shoulder impingement, poor posture, and shoulder tendonitis. Shoulder “impingement” is usually a “wear and tear” type of injury rather than an acute injury. Shoulder impingement is when a structure such as a tendon, ligament, or the bursa gets pinched in the subacromial space of the shoulder. 

Shoulder pain that is related to poor posture is very common, especially with our societal “norm” of working on computers or laptops and phones. Often, when we talk about exercise or proper posture the phrase “set your shoulder blades in place” is used. The term “scapular squeeze” is also widely used to describe this. 

The muscles responsible for the squeeze are the trapezius muscles (think yolk) and the rhomboids (aka Christmas tree muscles - the pair looks like a Christmas tree). Exercises that focus on these muscles include Prone Cobras (lying face down with your arms to your sides, pull your shoulder blades and arms towards the spine working against gravity), and Dumbbell Shoulder Shrugs (standing upright with dumbbells in both hands pull your shoulder blades back towards the spine and upwards). 

Strengthening these muscles will help to maintain the proper shoulder posture and reduce shoulder impingement from sedentary lifestyles. 

How To Help Sciatic Pain 

Piriformis Syndrome is a common condition, where the piriformis muscle (located in the lower butt region, between the lower point of the sacroiliac joint and the gluteus minimus) aggravates or compresses the sciatic nerve (it runs straight from under the piriformis muscle down to the top portion of the thigh bone). This can lead to sensations of tingling, pain, numbness tightness, and/or swelling around the lower portion of the butt region and down the leg. 

This condition can occur from direct impact to the piriformis muscle/sciatic nerve (due to injury around the butt region) or from the excessive wear and tear of activities that recruit or act on the piriformis disproportionately. These include such things as sitting too long on hard surfaces, climbing stairs, running, or performing exercises like deadlifts and lunges where proper form isn't maintained. 

When the body's healthy alignment is compromised, such as when the ankle or leg moves incorrectly, the pelvis becomes impacted and lends itself to the overuse of the piriformis muscle. As a result, this muscle can further irritate and/or impinge upon the sciatic nerve. In other words, with improper posture or gait as well as a sedentary lifestyle, it can put strain on the hip/butt region and then cause sensations of tingling, numbness, and pain in addition to tightness and swelling in the lower part of the butt and down the leg (where the sciatic nerve is located). 

How Do You Fix It? To address piriformis syndrome, it’s important to release the pressure around the sciatic nerve to relieve pain and increase range of motion in the hip and leg. Stretching exercises that emphasize the mobility of the ankle and hips are suggested to restore the natural alignment of the lower body posture. This will reduce the dependency on the piriformis to stabilize the pelvis. Calf stretches and lateral hip rotator stretches (pigeon pose, seated figure four, etc) are good places to start from. 

Pain In Your Heel

Plantar fasciitis is a condition caused by the overuse and inflammation of the plantar fascia ligaments (which connect the heel to the toes). This leads to pain and inflammation of the heel and arch of the foot. It generally affects women, older adults, individuals who are overweight or obese, and those who stay on their feet for long periods of time. 

How Does This Happen? The plantar fascia ligaments help to protect the bottom of our feet from the momentum of upright movement and help to form the arch of the foot. The arch serves as a springboard to absorb ground forces when we walk. Having flat feet, an excessively high arch, extra pressure created by excess weight, or by being on our feet for too long can cause the ligaments to become overstretched and inflamed. 

This is usually felt at the heel where it attaches. Bone spurs can even develop in response to the additional pressure exerted on this area adding to further pain. Because of the significant role our feet play in physical movement, it is crucial to make sure that the arch and heel are well-supported. 

Usually, protective shoewear is offered as a solution (shoes with good arch support and soles) but this doesn't increase the strength of the muscles that are tasked to support the arch of the foot. The shoewear can even make the situation worse as it reduces the strength of the arch musculature. 

How Do You Fix It? To address heel pain and plantar fasciitis, we must first focus on loosening the calf muscles that have become dependently overused due to the lack of strength of the foot, then restore the strength of the arch of the foot in order to improve gait and foot striking mechanics. Calf stretches and foot drills like short foot exercises are recommended to restore the natural mechanics of the foot and the ankle. 

Depending on what applies to you - just one of these, or all of them, take the time to understand your body and ease it back into comfort and mobility. Working with a wellness company can allow professionals to assist you with your recovery. Trained professionals, such as my team at Fluid Health and Fitness, can even work with you virtually, to ensure you are getting the proper training.