Four Steps to Restoring Proper Movement

We are committed to helping patients return to fitness and function while alleviating pain. At our Springfield practice, Back and Body Pain Relief not only helps alleviate pain, but we have a gym where we can rehab you properly. If you’ve been injured, we are here to help you back on to your feet, and we want to get you back into your sport ASAP.

What we want to discuss here is four step approach to helping you back to full fitness the right way.

Avoid the red traffic light, but allow the yellow. This may sound silly, but think about it in the sense of pain. You want to dive out of the comfort zone, because that is the only way that you will truly ever be able to get on track to a recovery. Hurt does not have to equal harm, it’s okay to embrace some discomfort (just be careful not to overdo it, but we are here to help with that).

Just take a moment for yourself to try and re conceptualize safety versus danger. Once you do this,it will get you out of the resting because you find comfort in it mindset. Getting back to your normal activity after an injury will be uncomfortable at first. Nothing is easy, but nothing is impossible. Here at Back and Body Pain Relief, we want to help you get back on your feet.

After getting back on your feet, you must reactivate and build your function back up. Your confidence will eventually build backup from this and will bridge the gap from preparation to training; then fragility to resilience. 

After reactivating the muscles, you add load. Load can be measured with an RPE scale. What this does is it gradually gets you back into your specific activity, while avoiding more injury. 

Now comes the fun part! You begin thinking of the most unpredictable aspects of your life in the activity and prepare for the unexpected. This will get you excited to get back into your activity and ready to strengthen yourself within it. With this step comes focus on specific details that will make sure that you are being as precise as you can be. This will make you less susceptible to any future injury since you are training your body to work in a very specific way each time. This means that your body will get used to the movements and muscle memory will occur after time. 

If you’re in pain right now, if you don’t have to be. Give us a call or schedule an appointment online. We also accept insurance. You can Schedule an appointment here.

Dr David Perna DC, CCSP, CCEP

Dr. David Perna DC, CCSP, CCEP is the founder and practice overseer at Back and Body Pain Relief in Springfield, NJ. A graduate of Life University Summa Cum Laude, Dr. Perna holds certifications in Active Release Technique (ART), Graston, SFMA, Neuro-Diagnostics (NCV/EMG), and Manipulation Under Anesthesia, among others. He is a Board Certified Sports Physician, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and a United States Olympic Committee Sports Medicine Volunteer.

A competing athlete himself — a 2x Ironman 70.3 finisher with a background in Olympic weightlifting, CrossFit, and martial arts – Dr. Perna brings firsthand athletic experience to his patient care.

He has treated presidents, royalty, diplomats, and professional athletes across MMA, baseball, tennis, and football, and has appeared on Dr. Oz demonstrating chiropractic therapies. His approach is diagnostic-first, combining evidence-based chiropractic care with rehabilitation to help patients get out of pain and back to full function.