Though I hate to admit it, pain is part and parcel of our life. It is always there but we cannot see it, catch it nor touch it, let alone get rid of it completely. However, we can take charge and commit ourselves to doing something to relieve the tension before we lose control of our life!

Every morning, for some, it is a struggle to get out of bed. The body becomes stiff and it takes 5-10 minutes of gentle stretching before the body feels normal again. In the office, prolong bad neck position staring at the computer screen glued the neck and shoulders together and soon pain sets in causing migraine and tremendous discomfort in the shoulders area. The long hours of bad posture like slouching creates fatigue in the lower back and the back becomes weak and rounded. Some count on back support for temporary pain relief in order to continue to work.

If that sounds all familiar, you are not alone. And take note, if you are suffering from pain of any sort, do not just simply ignore it! It will not just go away on its own. When your body has pain, it is trying to tell you that something is not right and the wise thing to do is to take charge and do something about it. After all, we work hard so that we can enjoy our life better. It really does not pay to be suffering from constant pain. Invest time and effort to have a pain free life! You owe it to yourself!

How Pain Comes About
Most of the time, the pain we experienced comes from the way we hold our posture in our daily activities. As we are subjected to long hours at the work desk, most times with little movement, our back get tired and weak. The sloppy way we sit means the lower back gets more compressed. If you continue to depend on back support while seated, the back gets weaker because we hardly use it in the way it is designed to be used. Problems start to appear.

When the back hurts, we start to compensate with different sitting positions. Our shoulders starts to round forward and creep upwards towards the ear. We find ourselves growing shorter and shorter by the day but dismiss it as temporarily stress. By now, the neck has to take over the job of supporting the body because the back is weak. Tension starts to accumulate because the muscles round the neck gets tired too. This tightness will reach a chronic stage and migraine can be a common complaint. That is why back pain is always associated with neck and shoulder pain!

Take Charge of Your Life
How do you get rid of all these pain and misery? In order to release pain, the tensions around the muscles of the neck, shoulder and lower back needs to be "let out" with stretches so that they have a chance to "breathe". Pilates pain relief exercises targeted at these areas can be performed for pain relief. Start on these pilates exercises at an interval of 2 hours each time or at least 2-3 times a day. You will feel immediate relief even from just one day of application!

Ignorance Is Not Bliss!
Ignorance is not bliss! Waiting for pain to subside or ignoring it completely is not going to work. Chances are it will return again. If you are experiencing pain, you need to find out why! Bad habits like incorrect posture and incorrect form mean the body will continue to do the wrong things repeatedly and over time, it will lead to chronic pain. It's a vicious cycle. Teach and re-educate the body to perform correct postural habits. Good core muscle engagement is by far the best way to get rid of pain and injury. If your body is not taught the right way to move and muscles are not given the chance to develop flexibility, strength and endurance, even joints and bones get affected. Start by taking up pilates to have proper posture and build up your core strength!

If you think the pain you are experiencing is a small problem, think again! Seek treatment before it snow balled!