Pain is Weakness (PIW)

Pain is Weakness (PIW)

That sounds like an unkind thing to say about people in pain, but this is a particular type of pain. I am speaking from my own experience with hip and leg pain. PIW is a physical state that does not encompass pain that is the result of cancer, infection, other organic causes, accidents or other trauma to the body.
PIW is a phrase I use to describe this all too common condition experienced by many tech workers and other workers who are required to sit for long periods of time. 

When we sit hour after hour in our jobs, our hip flexors become shortened and tight, while our glutes relax and deactivate due to lack of use. This chronic lack of movement can reduce blood flow to the hip joint or joints leading to weakness and stiffness. The condition forces the hips and the knees to do the work that glutes can’t, because they are no longer functioning properly. This muscular imbalance may lead to pain throughout the legs, sciatica, cramping, sharp pains, difficulty getting out of chair, being unable to squat or climb stairs.

Even if we stop sitting so much, this condition often does not correct itself with more activity and can become a chronic pain loop where we avoid exercise, which makes us even less flexible, gives us more pain and then continues to worsen.

What can we do about it? We need to Get Strong by training those muscles that we use to stand up, get out of a chair or climb the stairs. We need to reclaim our mobility, yes even if it hurts us to do so. Sarcopenia is muscle loss that is natural part of aging and can start for people in their 30s and 40s, although the decline increases more when we reach our 60s, so it is important for most adults to work on these crucial muscle groups. 

Here are some exercises that may help:

• Wall Sits
• Active Wall Sits (moving from standing to knees at 90 degree angle, back up and down).
• Bridges
• Squats
• Donkey kicks
• Stretches (often uncomfortable) that increase the range of motion in the hips.

Perhaps you have an older friend or relative who has this type of pain, avoids exercise, experiences less mobility and more pain year after year and at some point they may not be able to get out a chair at all?

This could happen to anyone, so it is important to start a program to reverse PIW now!

If you have pain you should see your doctor to see if you have any underlying conditions that may require treatment. ​