It’s Opposite Day in Our Body

Let's talk about opposites. I don't mean hot or cold, black or white, yummy food compared to olives, kind of opposites. I mean how things affect other things in unexpected ways.

We were talking in the gym this morning, and Sally asked how the range of motion (ROM), or lack of it, can affect knee pain. She hadn't thought about my answer, so she suggested I write about it.

What do I mean by opposites?

Our body maintains its posture through what are called opposing muscle groups. That sounds complicated, but all it means is that muscles counteract muscles on one side of the body on the other side. Think chest and back.

In a perfect world, each muscle is about as strong as the opposing muscle, which allows our body to stay balanced and in good posture. When there's a large disparity, it means that one muscle must bear more of the responsibility of keeping us upright and moving. That can lead to poor posture and/or movement, leading to pain.

What does this mean in the real world?

Injuries and pain tend to happen at extreme ROM. An extreme ROM is defined as one that extends outside normal positions. (That's different for everyone due to differences in flexibility, mobility, strength, and other factors. For example, an extreme shoulder ROM may be an overhead reach for one person while someone else's may be raising their arm only shoulder high.)

When we're in those positions, the strength in surrounding muscles holds everything together and keeps the joints and muscles in good working order.

I know it's a complex concept, so here's an example. A common cause of knee pain is when the muscles on the back of our legs (hamstrings) are weaker than the ones on the front (quadriceps). In this case, the stronger quadriceps overpower the weaker hamstrings and pull our knee too far forward. OUCH.

This also means that:

1.  Our joints frequently aren't the cause of joint pain. Yes, your knees may not be the actual problem.

2. Proper strength training is really darn important.

Other common problem areas are shoulders (chest vs. upper back) and low back (hip flexors vs. glutes.) 

So now that you're an expert on this subject, what to do? In my opinion, the most important thing is to change your mindset around chronic pain. It's crucial to understand that shoulder, knee, and low back pain often has little to do with your shoulders, knees, and lower back. Once you understand that, you can more easily see answers that lie more in your locus of control as opposed to a surgeon's. Isn't that an incredibly empowering notion?

If you want to dive even deeper on this topic, Google "Janda Cross Syndrome" or drop me an email.