By WIN Contributor: Dr. Matthew Bird, Chiropractor

In a previous post, I discussed the two fundamental approaches to treatment, Duct Tape and WD 40, which people require when dealing with nagging musculoskeletal ailments.

At WIN Health Solutions Niagara, these two approaches for treating commonly observed ailments are easily assessed by one of our manual therapists.  These particular complaints refer to structural properties of the body, which I will refer to as the hardware systems of health.

The hardware items include your…

  • Muscles
  • Ligaments
  • Tendons
  • Bones
  • Joint capsules

These items can be easily understood when discussing where the pain is coming from when there is an injury.

What if there wasn’t a single event that caused pain? What if the pain suddenly appeared for no apparent reason?

These pain syndromes tend to be very frustrating for the patient and generally lead to significant worry regarding how to deal with the pain.

Let’s look at an example.

Let’s say we have a runner who has been running on a “good” training program revolving around duration, intensity, and frequency.  The training program has been going well for about two months but, suddenly, the runner has knee pain.

Now what?

First, we check in with a WIN Niagara Falls Chiropractic Doctor for an evaluation. 🙂

The runner seems to have all the “hardware” in place with no signs of true weakness or inflammation.  Overall, isolated mobility of the ankle, the knee and the hip seem to be good, indicating that the hardware appears to be intact.

So why is the runner in pain?

An assessment of the site shows some deficits in squat mechanics and lunge patterns. However, the runner has no pain during testing.

In this example, the runner’s hardware systems have adapted to a glitch in the software system designed to control their very function.

Sure, individual components work but, as a whole, there is a problem.

The software system I am speaking of is the motor pattern control unit of mobility and there is definitely a “bug” in the system.

Because of this “bug”, the hardware is insufficient at coordinating movement patterns from segment to segment resulting in pain perceived to be strictly a hardware issue.

Thus, the hardware is insufficient to take the loads of training either in duration, intensity, or frequency. This is called maladaptation and has probably been going on for years prior to the injury or before the runner even became a runner.

We are all aware that general pain onset when starting a new program is normal as the hardware adapts, but the question then arises:

Have you properly addressed movement issues before starting your program?

Have you optimally developed a motor planning skill set to allow the hardware system to truly gain strength and endurance?

Your hardware training of tissue development requires software updating to truly define and maintain hardware integrity.

Software development (changing your motor skills) does not require heavy weight training or long endurance bouts of exercise. It requires a commitment to truly understanding how your muscles move your joints in a defined movement sequence. Not in isolation, but in multi-segmental movement patterns ie: multiple body parts at the same time.

A WIN Health Niagara Falls Chiropractic Doctor can help you identify these faulty patterns of movement, help move those “stuck” spots and show you how to stabilize those “loose” spots. It all begins with the housing of the nervous system, your spine, and how well you control its postural demands. It will ultimately come down to how committed you are at recognizing and addressing your own limitations to prevent hardware failures.  To create a smoothly functioning system for your musculoskeletal health visit, visit us at WIN Health Solutions Niagara.