The Vicious Cycle of Injury, Inactivity, and Weight Gain

Often times people end up being “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”  But how does one break that cycle?  Starting an exercise program can be painful, injury-inducing, and just downright not fun. Unfortunately, that can lead to even more reasons for and guilt about not getting more active.

Acute or chronic pain leaves most people on the couch or in bed. Discomfort in the back, neck, hips, shoulders, and extremity joints can make even moderate activity difficult, and strenuous activity (such as jogging, biking, or hiking) nearly impossible. If not addressed quickly, this inactivity can begin a vicious cycle that leads to obesity, ill health, and often a slow and painful death.  (Yikes, that was not a fun sentence to write!)

The Vicious Cycle of Injury, Inactivity, and Weight Gain

Recent research on obesity shows that inactivity plays a significant role in a person’s likelihood of being obese. Analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1988 through 2010 found that 52% of women reported a sedentary lifestyle in 2010 compared to 19% in 1988. There is a similar jump in men:  in 2010, 43% reported no physical activity compared to 11% in 1988. These findings coincide with an obesity rate that doubled between 1980 and 2010.

There are many reasons for the recent decline in physical activity. Families are more likely to have two cars, which reduces the need for walking. Entertainment and shopping are easily accessible by computer. Appliances and power tools reduce physical work in the kitchen and home. And so, we become less and less physically active.  A study published by the Mayo Clinic showed that obese people engage in less than one minute of vigorous activity per day.

Injury complicates this picture. Chronic or acute pain makes physical activity difficult, leading patients to choose the couch over the treadmill. This inactivity can easily lead to weight gain. Now there are two obstacles to getting enough activity: the injury makes movement difficult, while excess weight forces the patient to work harder for every step he or she takes. Activity becomes even more difficult, leading the patient to remain sedentary, which leads to greater weight gain. Unless changes are made, it is unlikely that this pattern will resolve itself.

Breaking the Cycle

If chronic discomfort or injury is preventing you from engaging in the activity your body needs, you need to find help to break free from the cycle of inactivity and weight gain. That starts with helping you to find the root cause of your discomfort (which often is not the same area of your body in which you’re feeling the pain!), and finding a way to allow comfortable exercising to begin.

As a result of their training, most chiropractors take a holistic view of their patients’ health. This is why conversations about healthy lifestyle habits (not just about symptoms and treatment options) feature so prominently in our relationships with patients. Put simply, it is impossible to maintain or improve your health over the long run if your own day-to-day behaviors are working against you. Adjustments at the office aren’t going to be enough.  Good communication is a key part of any effective treatment plan. Talking candidly about your diet, exercise, sleep, work, and stress management patterns helps uncover you as a person and not just you as a painful back or headache. In return, you’ll receive advice that can help you better manage your overall health, including your weight. Between pain relief, rehabilitation, and positive lifestyle changes, you will have the tools you need to exit the vicious cycle of injury, inactivity, and weight gain.

The Big Picture

What needs to happen in health care is not just the relief of symptoms or the stabilization of some blood test.  More often than not—and I’m sure many of you reading this have experienced the following—the treatment of one symptom simply leads to the manifestation of one or two other symptoms.  Health care providers need to look to improve the quality of life of the individual.  In my opinion, quality of life is enhanced the most through personal independence.  Personal independence comes from the ability to care for yourself, be mobile without the help of walkers or wheelchairs, not depend on drugs (both prescription and illicit), to maintain “health”, and know that ultimately we are all responsible for our own wellness.  So, what can you do today to improve your own quality of life?  And who can help you get started?