“How Varied Movement Reduces Guarding and Pain Guarding is the tensing of muscle and shortening of posture to protect an injured, inflamed, or painful body part. It’s an overlooked pain-related behavior that plays a major contributing role in age-related mobility and activity declines. Studies show that patients who can reduce guarding behaviors experience lower levels of pain, anxiety, and distress. Because guarding has a psychological component (fear of injury and pain), exposure to novel movements helps retrain the nervous system. Varied movement is the best way to”