Pain is your friend was my mantra as a young rugby player trying to crack the big leagues and run with thebig dogs, I needed to be bigger, stronger, faster and earn the respect of my peers to win theconfidence of my coaches to make the cut. I had set a tall order for myself and had made manysacrifices, it was all or nothing - overcoming my fears and breaking the pain barrier time andtime again was the only way to succeed. I knew if it wasn't hurting - I wasn't working hard enough.No pain, no gain..When we're born, the first thing we feel is pain - its how we know we are alive. The pain of our first breath of air, the pain of hunger to eat, pains from growth and the pain of loss. Pain, in all its forms, guides us, pointing us in the right direction so that we can react accordingly to avoid further more serious forms of chronic pain. Unfortunately, more often than not, we are not listening to what pains us and we reach for the easy out which is usually pain medication. Prolonged use leads to all sorts of serious problems like dependance, illness and ultimately, surgery, facts which I know all to well.The pain management industry is huge and continues to grow at an alarming rate, you can't watchtelevision, listen to the radio, read a newspaper or browse the internet without a pain medication ad being shoved down your throat. In America its reported that the leading cause of Americans taking sick days is due to sciatic back pain, pain which I suffered with for years. By living with my pain for so long I ultimately did more damage to my body than if I had addressed the pain head on. I had lost sight of my mantra, "pain is your friend." Instead, I tried to ignore the pain and dial it down with pain medication so that I could work my way though it. I now know that this is impossible.If you want to fix any problem you need to find the root cause. When it comes to muscle pain inyour neck, back, shoulders, feet and hips, the root cause is tight restricted fascia.My speedy recovery from surgery stems from seeing one of the best surgeons in the country, quality pre and post surgery physical therapy, including self-myofascial release, and treating the surgery like any other sporting injury which consisted of me spending a lot of time icing, hydrating and resting. My postural improvements, the reduction of muscle pain and my ability to be running around on thebeach and living an active lifestyle comes from re-aquatinting myself with my old friend, pain. My practiceof self-myofascial release is allowing me to revive my battle-beaten body. I can now say that my body is finally back to normal and I have overcome the injuries that have plagued me for so long. I look forward to living the healthy active lifestyle that I have grown so accustom to and I want to help otherknow there is a better way.