I feel a need to clear the air a bit. In previous blogs I have written about how doctors, although highly educated in surgical procedures, physiology, and pharmacology, are not educated in certain aspects of human motion and pain management. This is not a slam on the medical profession but merely an observation. Full body biomechanics and kinematic sequencing (how joints move in relation to one another) are not in most medical books.
Overall, doctors and the medical field are truly amazing. The knowledge and technology at their disposal is nothing short of remarkable. If I were to suffer some physical trauma I would not hesitate to seek the attention of an emergency room doctor. However, when it comes to acute and chronic joint or muscle pain, I would turn my sights toward other arenas.
Western medicine’s typical approach to treating such pain involves rest, pain reliever medication, and cryotherapy (apply ice to the pain site). If the pain persists the choice often becomes surgical intervention.
Like a mechanic, doctors will find something that is not operating properly and decide to remove the part and replace it with something brand new. Fuel filter, dysfunctional knee, head gasket, worn out hip, it doesn’t matter; just put in a new one, and we’ll be right as rain. Granted, some people have allowed the deterioration of a part of their body to progress to the point that surgery may be necessary. However, for a large number of people, all that may be required is a little structural engineering to restore the body to a place where joint pain is reduced or eliminated.
This is what we specialize in helping people with. Looking at the body as a whole, integrative, structural unit where one area can have a direct impact on another. We choose to not focus all of our attention on the symptomatic pain site, but pull the lens back to get a better understanding of why the issue is occurring. Where are the stress points? What is not moving like it should? What is moving more than it should? How is mass managed throughout the body?
Just because a person comes in with knee pain does not mean the problem is somewhere in the knee. The majority of time the knee is not the issue, rather it is the recipient of excess force due to another area not generating its fair share. The same can be said for many issues people might seek a doctor’s advice: carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, rotator cuff pain, plantar fasciitis, etc.
This is not to claim that re-aligning the human structure will be the panacea for all that ails you. However, wouldn’t it be nice to learn a few movements which re-train your body on how to move with less compensation and no pain in lieu of undergoing surgery that may or may not relieve your issues?
