What do you think would happen if you drove your car

through a huge pot hole, never got the alignment corrected

and drove for 20 years?  

Yes the car’s parts would likely wear out faster. 

 

What do you think happens to your body when you have a

 relatively minor injury, or several, never do anything about

 them, and then drive your body hard for 20 years?

 

I have been working with a client who is in her 30s who has just taken up

 running. She has been experiencing issues in her knees and feet. We

 have been able to settle the muscle-driven pain in the legs and feet with

 IMS (www.istop.org).  We could just stop there, but I like to look at why

 the person is having issues.

So up to the pelvis, back and mid-back I go to see what I can find.

 

 

 

Why?

The muscles in the back run from the mid-back to the pelvic bones. 

Muscles from the shoulders attach to the mid-back and lower back. 

Findings:

What was discovered as stiffness in the mid-back and muscle tightness, with

the pelvic asymmetry noted (one bone more forwards than the other pelvic bone). 

On questioning why this may be tight, it was revealed that

there was a “serious car accident” a number of years ago.  

Is it related?  My answer is yes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural Healing

The body has an amazing ability to heal itself (see my previous Stages of Healing

Blog). The problems come when the injured muscle is left weak or tight

 even though the pain is no longer present. A weak muscle does not

 support the joints (where two bones come together) well. A tight muscle

 may compress the joint surfaces, eventually leading to wear of the

 cartilage part of the bone (“arthritis”).  The rest of the body will

 compensate to try and let you function, but you are now functioning in a

 less than optimal position. 

 

Now it becomes not a matter of  “IF” you will wear out or break down,  but “WHEN”. 

 

CONCLUSION

I run into this issue all the time.  A great number of my clients come to

 me for IMS treatments because they have tried other therapies but are still having

 issues.  It has been a wonderful addition to my practice, and has allowed

 me to look and treat more efficiently the other areas of the body that

 may be the source of the pain (“the driver” according to Diane Lee).  

I have seen people who are having problems now because of

ankle sprains that have happened over 20 years ago. 

The left over stiffness in the heel joint contributes to the “over

pronation” in the mid-foot. 

This can lead to plantar fasciitis, problems with the inner knee ligaments, problems with the big toe joint, iliotibial

band issues, and even hip and pelvic problems. 

 

 

RECOMMENDATION

I do recommend that if you are thinking of taking up a new activity

(running the local 10 K race perhaps), a preventative screening

assessment is a good idea.  It is amazing what you can find when people

are not in pain.  I have done these assessments for people wanting to

work with personal trainers and want to know what to focus on. 

Don’t wait until the pain gets unbearable and you’re desperate.