ADDRESSING YOUR INJURY NIGGLES AND GETTING THEM CHECKED
“Oh it’s nothing, just a niggle!” you call, as you head, grimacing, out the door for a run. After all, you feel more or less fine in yourself and it’s nothing a warm bath won’t sort out when you get home. We don’t like to complain and, especially if we’re competitive sportspeople, we don’t want others to think we’re anything but fighting fit. However, not addressing tiny pains could be costing you greatly further down the line.
The fact is that niggles matter. Research from Australia has found that athletes who ignore ‘niggles’ are six times more likely to get injured so keeping well tuned to your body’s small gripes and preventing niggles from turning into full-blown injuries will pay off in the long run.
Catch them early
But how do you really know if something is a niggle?
A niggle is different from an obvious injury and is any sort of discomfort that gets worse with activity and should be addressed as early as possible and if you have a pain that simply doesn’t get better after a couple of weeks then it’s well worth taking action and seeking expert help before it gets any worse.
Can I exercise with a niggle?
Even though the received wisdom is that it’s somehow heroic to struggle through minor pain, a niggle is still an injury. Sure, it might not be stopping you from playing sport or doing your job but it could be causing lasting damage if you don’t do something about it. Battling through like a champion is not necessarily the best way to manage it.
Of course you can play sport or exercise perfectly well with a niggle but it’s important to pay careful attention to what your body is telling you. If you have a niggle in your achilles tendon, for example, catching it early could avoid a lengthy lay-off.
Be aware of your body before, during and after training
One good way to avoid niggles or nip them in the bud is to learn what your body feels like and how it usually performs. That way, you’ll be more aware of when something’s not quite right. If you play sport or exercise regularly, always pay careful attention to how your joints feel before you do any exercise and what effect the specific exercises have on them. Knowing your body when it’s performing at its best will help you identify when there’s a problem. Highlighting areas for improvement in the body will also help you to improve your performance in your chosen sport as well as addressing the pain faster. We can provide a progressive strengthening programme adjusted for you, which can help build strength and reduce pain.
Contact us for more help with your niggle
Our in-depth initial physio assessment will provide us with the information we’ll need to get to the root cause of your sports injury and explain what needs to be done to remedy the problem, once and for all. Get in touch today to find out more.
Get in touch
020 8070 7777
info@lewinclinic.co.uk
Ground Floor,
65 New North Road
Hainault
Essex
IG6 2UE
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The Retreat
406 Roding Lane South Woodford Green
Essex IG8 8EY
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