Pain may not always be what you expect it to be!
The body is connected top to bottom, side to side, and from the inside out. Sometimes, the way we move at one end can have an affect at an opposite corner of the body.
As a physiotherapist I watch people move and help clients get out of pain daily. It is too frequent to count how many times I address to the patient their ankle or lower leg issue that is creating their neck pain, shoulder pain, or low back pain that they are complaining about. It does not mean that the neck pain or shoulder pain is not real, it is likely not the source of the problem and without treating the source, pain can perpetuate.
Just as important as it is to identify and help to quell pain, I try to teach my clients how to pay attention to their whole body, not just the part that hurts. It can be hard to quiet the noise of pain, especially chronic pain, to listen or feel what the rest of our body is telling us. This process requires changing our focus to the sometimes seemingly smallest unapalpable detail.
You can do it too. It may just take more practice.
Something very interesting starts to happen when you begin to pay attention to the little details: what your big toe feels like when you push off the ground while running or walking, the difference in feeling the shoulder blade stabilize in a down direction versus up towards the ear when lifting an object, or the feeling in your feet when you are simply standing there.
My work requires me to pay attention to the smallest level of movement details that for some, their relevance could be many practice hours away. When I evaluate, diagnose, and then treat a movement problem, there is movement deconstruction, evaluation, followed by movement reconstruction and functional remodeling.
Paying attention is a skill I developed through personal practice throughout my changing athletic then professional career that required me to hone in on minor details and techniques in order to be successful. With this patience, I was able to create directed movement and shapes, some powerful, some beautiful. This includes my time spent learning skills like ballet, pole dancing, olympic weight lifting, and honing in on my hands as a physical therapist.
Movements and skills we learn in our youth are pivotal in helping our nervous system develop patterns, reflexes, and call upon muscles to coordinate action. Our bodies are still able to learn new patterns and skills, it just may take a little more practice compared to our 15 year old bodies.
I have decided to break this blog up into two, more digestible pieces. The next blog will be the continuation of this one. Before addressing pain, I would like to talk about everyday movement habits and what they feel like. For today and this week try to bring your attention to the extremity that is moving, leg or arm.
For example: if you are walking, think about one leg at a time. What is one foot, or toes, doing compared to the other? How about an ankle, knee, hip joints? Can you feel the quads or glutes contracting? Is one calf tighter than another?
Example 2: if you are reaching, writing, or on a computer, does one shoulder or arm feel or sit differently compared to the other? Can you feel muscles working, or not working, and what muscles change function as the arm moves through space?
Understanding our own movements, pain, stiffness, or function starts with paying attention to these details for as long or as little as you like. What do you notice that you may not have become attuned to previously?
I will expand on this in the next blog. And always, I would love to hear about any breakthroughs, small or large, so feel free to respond!
Have a wonderful week exploring movement!
So kindly,
Tiana
