You probably worked hard and played even harder, not giving any thought to what your body would have to deal with 20 or 30 years down the road!

If you’re currently suffering from chronic pain, be it back pain, joint pain, or knee pain, or if you have chronic pain from a condition such as scoliosis or sciatica, it’s important to understand that it’s not just your current lifestyle and habits that are contributing to your day-to-day pain.

Every injury and insult (no matter how small) to your body through the years has played a role in how your body is working today.

Your body can be affected in ways you may not have thought of before. For example, if you break your leg you’re going to spend 12 weeks, on average, recovering from the injury. You’ll go to physical therapy and work hard getting the broken leg back on track.

However, most people never think about how the rest of their body has changed around the broken leg. For instance, when you break one leg you spend a great deal of time hobbling around on the other one. Your body, therefore, must make some dramatic changes in the way it moves in order to compensate for you being “one leg short.” Your other leg is now the only thing holding up all your weight (when you’re not using your crutches, that is).

The muscles in your torso must change in order to compensate for the shift in balance. All these shifts and compensations take a toll on your body that might not show up until years later. It’s rare that physical therapy does anything to address these issues.

Take a moment and write down all the injuries you’ve sustained over the years, from major accidents to the ingrown toenail that had you hobbling around for two weeks. They’re all relevant to the pain you’re experiencing today, and how your body is coping with that pain. If you’re able to see an exercise specialist who is knowledgeable about corrective exercise, then they’ll be able to look at the way your entire body has worked around your past injuries, and put you on the path to total body wellness.

Anthony Carey is the author of “The Pain-Free Program” and the founder and CEO of Function First. Function First helps those with back pain, joint pain and chronic pain eliminate it using a method called corrective exercise. To learn more about this simple, effective, non-invasive approach to pain relief and receive a free chapter from Carey’s book, “The Pain-Free Program” visit www.FunctionFirst.com