"I have been running for years this way. I always sit like this. I don't do that anymore cause it hurts. Can I really learn anything new?" Does this sound familiar? I must have heard this hundreds of times and I always smile because it reminds me of an old saying. " Learn it the right way and you will do it right for the rest of your life. Learn it wrong and you will spend the rest of your life trying to get it right."
Knee pain. Hip pain. Plantar fasciitis. Back pain. Neck pain. Achilles tendonitis. Groin pull.
Recognize any of these? I hear it every day and most of the time they could have been avoided with just slight modifications. Postural and Biomechanical Dysfunctions are the leading causes of most micro trauma that occur in the body. This results in a repetitive motion injury and tissue restrictions that typically cause other problems which can become more acute. By identifying the root problem, which can be postural, biomechanical or an old restriction in the kinetic chain of movement, and correcting these issues. One will find an immediate increase of strength. This will result in the body's ability to perform at it's most efficient level.
So how do we do this? Great question!
"He who treats the site of pain is often lost."
Carl Lewit M.D.
Through functional testing, we are able to identify the source of the problem that is causing the symptom which is pain or dysfunction. A symptom doesn't have to cause pain. Some times it is identified by loss of strength, speed, movement or power. For example. A golfer that usually drives a ball 250 yds and all of a sudden can barely get over 200. Or a cyclist that usually can maintain 225 watts, begins to struggle with it. When an issue occurs, compensation develops and then soon fails. This usually results in dysfunction and support systems take over. When the level of failure exceeds the body's threshold of pain, pain develops. Most of us only realize there is problem at the latter part of this progression. When it hurts and we can't do what we like to do, we have a problem. There are many things that can help reduce the pain, but we have to remember that there still is a problem.
Once we have identified the root problem we use several things to fix it. If it is only a gate dysfunction that had developed over time, we can reteach you how to run efficiently. Every single runner we have changed to a more efficient running gate has either P.R'd or has been able to run without a problem from running. It doesn't matter if you are a new runner or have been running for 50 years. If tissue restrictions are the problem, we use Active Release Techniques (A.R.T.) to identify the structure(s) and eliminate the issue. We will also find and treat compensating structures that may be impeded as well.
Once tissue function has been restored and the proper biomechanics has begun, we need to strengthen the movements. I have people ask me all the time. Why we can't just start with strength? It's a great question but I usually answer it like this. When you strengthen a dysfunction you get a dysfunctional result! I believe that functional strength should start as soon as possible though. This doesn't mean hours in a gym at all. With only a very small amount of time every week, you can regain function and train yourself to keep the problem from coming back.
So Target the injury, treat the source, fix the cause and put together a plan to return back to activity as soon as possible. If you are a young pup or an old dog, you can reeducate and modify with some new ticks.
