Treating Painless Dysfunction

We do not frequently see patients until pain is an issue; however, that does not mean that everyone with pain-free motion is without dysfunctional movement. In fact, it's probably safe to say that most people without pain are lacking normal mobility/stability somewhere in their bodies. In Gray Cook's latest post, he discusses the adaptations our bodies make given certain activities in which we regularly engage and how we might not want to be so eager to correct these dysfunctional patterns. An example he uses is a common one: tight hamstrings in runners. He reasons that our bodies change to best perform the repetitive task. The body is used to functioning with limited hamstring length, and in a way, relies on those restrictions for stability. If we suddenly choose to alter that restriction, we open up the body to new motions and stresses for which it is not prepared. In the example of the runner, yes we want to stretch those tight hamstrings, but we must also include stability training in that new range! Check out Cook's post for more detail on the topic.

---