Neck pain and headaches.
Mid back pain and shoulder pain.
Lower back pain.
Did you know that 1 of every 7 (14% of total) visits to a primary healthcare provider is for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain or dysfunction? So musculoskeletal pain is a big deal, it’s really common, and masking the symptoms with pain relievers is not a good option.
So what causes someone to progress from a nice, upright posture with a spine that is pain-free and mobile…to a posture that is slumped, painful and significantly restricted?
It really boils down to stress and how your body responds to that stress. It is important to understand that the daily stresses of life produce microtrauma in our body. Microtrauma is trauma. Sitting at a computer desk with a forward head, rounded shoulders and slumped posture for 8 hours a day is a trauma to the body. When an area of the spine, or any joint for that matter, loses its normal function due to stress then a series of events occurs that accelerate degeneration in that area.
Your joints and cartilage are nourished only by motion. These are avascular areas, meaning they have no blood supply. So, for example, your discs require healthy joint motion to bring nutrients in and waste products out. Motion is life…but let me be more specific and state…proper motion is life!
We know that musculoskeletal pain is the result of:
- areas that move too much
- areas that move too little
- areas that move incorrectly
Pain isn’t the greatest indicator of musculoskeletal problems, however. Much like with dental decay, atherosclerosis and even cancer…there are problems way before pain becomes evident.
Pain is the last thing to show up and the first thing to go away.
So what is a better indicator? FUNCTION!
- how does your body move?
- how well do your nerves integrate with your muscles for proper movement?
- are there areas that move too much or too little?
- is your brain hemisphericity in balance so that motor control is optimal?
- is your acid/alkaline balance optimal so muscles can be oxygenated and healthy?
These are much greater indicators of musculoskeletal health and can be evaluated before pain starts. The reason we spend time with our patients evaluating their muscle strength, neurological integrity, brain balance and movement patterns is because that is what gets the long term results and yields the greatest information. This can’t be accomplished by a rushed patient encounter or failure to look at the whole individual.
If you are dealing with pain find someone that can look to see if you are moving too much, too little, or in the wrong way. Get back on track, improve overall balance in your body and start living pain-free!
