Ep091: The Science Behind Pain & Recovery w/ Garrett Salpeter (The Health Engineer)

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: 

You will get injured at some point on your fitness journey. While we can do our best to prevent injuries, injuries are unavoidable. But just because you’ve injured yourself doesn’t mean you have to be sedentary for months. In fact, after listening to this episode, you might be able to cut your recovery time in half. 

Here’s why:

The science behind pain and recovery reminds me of the science behind nutrition. For years, we’ve been told outdated advice on nutrition, and the proper protocols are just becoming popular. 

Well the same is true for pain and injuries. For years, we’ve been told to use the RICE method—and are only recently discovering how ineffective this protocol is.

That’s why I invited Garrett Salpeter (aka The Health Engineer) on today’s show to give you an updated understanding into the science behind pain and recovery. Garrett’s background in engineering and neuroscience has helped him create NeuFit and his patented NEUBIE device, which helps you recover in half the time as normal. 

How was Garrett able to create tools to actually speed up recovery? Well, his big insight into pain and recovery is how much of it stems from your brain and nervous system, not just the injury itself. 

When you can tweak this “software” side of your injury, your body doesn’t get in the way of the healing process. And you recover faster. Regardless of your age, injury, or fitness level. 

Garrett will challenge many of your beliefs about pain, chronic pain, and injuries in the episode. And if you’re currently dealing with chronic pain, I can think of no better way to spend your time than by tuning into this interview. 

Here’s a sneak peek into what Garrett and I discuss: 

• The science behind pain and recovery (including chronic pain)
• How to speed up your recovery by weeks (or even months) 
• The differences between the hardware and software of an injury (and which one prolongs your recovery) 
• 5 most common triggers of chronic pain (and strategies to ease and eliminate chronic pain) 

And so much more! 

Highlights from this show include: 

• How Garrett recovered from a 3-month injury in just 3 weeks (5:24) 
• The weird neurological response to injury that slows down your recovery (5:40) 
• The scientific reason why movement, not rest, fast tracks your recovery (10:48) 
• How your brain can create pain out of thin air (and how to prevent it from hijacking your fitness routine) (20:52) 
• Why worrying about injuring yourself when working out actually increases your risk of injury (30:11) 
• How your body gets in the way of its own healing process (36:56) 
• Why focusing on the “software” of your injury instead of just the hardware can speed up the healing process by weeks or even months (38:17) 
• The “Motion is Lotion” mindset shift that helps you recover from pain and injuries faster than anyone else your age (42:25) 
• The top 3 activities you can do outside of physical therapy to boost your recovery and curb your pain (57:47) 
• How to better tell the difference between common soreness and full-blown pain (1:01:59) 
• Can muscle cramps make you stronger? Here’s what the science says… (1:09:22) 
• How joint mobility exercises can calm chronic pain and even eliminate it (1:17:35) 
• 5 most common triggers of chronic pain (and why it isn’t always physical) (1:20:09) 
• Why Mike Tyson credits Garrett’s “NEUBIE” machine for him being able to fight Roy Jones Jr. at age 54 (1:39:11) 

Listen now!

Resources mentioned on this episode: 

1. NeuFit: If you want to speed up the healing process, there’s no better way than by checking out NeuFit. Garrett has trained thousands of personal trainers and doctors across the world into his modality. Learn more about NeuFit here: ​https://www.neu.fit/ 

2. Buy Garrett’s Book: If you want a deeper dive into the NeuFit modality, I also recommend reading Garrett’s book, “The NeuFit Method: Unleash the Power of the Nervous System for Faster Healing and Optimal Performance.” Order it on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/NeuFit-Method-Unleash-Nervous-Performance/dp/1544520921 

3. Follow NeuFit on Instagram: Want to stay up-to-date with NeuFit? Follow them on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/neufitrfp/ 

Other important links: 

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