Damage and
Strain are
the 2 main causes of pain in
our
musculo-skeletal
system
.
Damage
Damage is caused
by, amongst other things, mild to significant trauma,
moderate or worse arthritis, bad osteoporosis,
degeneration of spinal discs or invasive diseases such as
primary or secondary cancer.
These problems need
specialist treatment so if you think this may be you, go and
see someone about it as soon as
possible.
Useful
Addition
The information in
these pages may be a useful addition to other treatment you
get because strain is almost always
present and usually overlooked when damage has been
done.
Do what you can for the damage
then do what you can for the
strain.
Strain
Strain is caused by, amongst
other things, mild to
significant trauma, mild or worse arthritis,
poor
posture, stiff joints, misaligned bones and tight or weak
muscles.
Causes or
contributes
In my experience,
strain causes or
contributes to most chronic and recurring muscle joint and
back pain. It is this
strain based pain that I am primarily
addressing on this website and on my DVD.
Perspective
From my perspective
most musculo-skeletal pain boils down to
stiff joints,
misaligned bones and tight or
weak muscles.
Mobilize, realign,
stretch and strengthen
So if you can free up
your joints, realign your bones and loosen and
strengthen your muscles, you have an excellent chance
of reducing and better managing or even eliminating
your pain and debility and therefore have a better
quality of life.
Simple
Strain can very often
be addressed with some simple stretching and
exercising. You just have to know which ones to do. I have
never met anyone who figured out exactly what they needed to
do to address their underlying strain pattern, on their
own.
Unravel the
mystery
This website and
my DVD are
designed to help you unravel the mystery of effectively
addressing what is keeping you in pain, or keeps
that pain coming back, and what you can do about
it.
We’re all
different
We are all
individuals and the nuances of our problems vary from
one person to the next, that is why getting an individual
assessment, treatment and management plan is a really good
idea. As everyone knows, no
part of us is exactly the same as anybody else.
We’re all the
same
However, let’s not
forget that we all belong to the same species. We are all
human beings and as such what we have in common
vastly outweighs our differences.
Pain and
debility
Pain and its associated
disability cuts through every cultural, financial,
geographical, political, religious and philosophical
divide. Whatever you know, however
think, pain is pain. An arthritic hip
or bad back hurts and will slow you down and
effect your mood and your sleep, whoever you are, where
ever you're from, whatever you do.
Pain is
Pain
Rich or poor, pain is
pain, it does not discriminate. An Australian knee is pretty
much the same as an African or Argentinian knee. They all
have the same origins. They all work on exactly the same
underlying principles and are all effected by exactly
the same mechanical forces.
Predetermined
Our bodies have
predetermined responses to almost everything that happens to
us.
The
same
When we get cut, for
example, our blood clots and blood vessels constrict,
the immune system swings into action to clear up any
infective organisms that may have gotten inside, then the
tissues start growing back together. It's always the same.
Same
response
In the same way, our
bodies have a predetermined response to trauma and
postural strain. We feel discomfort,
tenderness, pain, inflammation, swelling and limited,
often difficult movement.Joints stiffen, muscles
tighten and we are pulled out of alignment, usually
into a predetermined pattern of
strain.
Predictability
This predictability
makes it possible to address many of the musculo-skeletal
problems that we are prone to with a small number of
strategies.
The really good
stuff
The 4 most useful
things to address are
flexibility, alignment, suppleness
and strength.
Referred organ
pain
Another cause of pain
is reflex from internal organs.
It is far less common
than damage or strain but it still needs to be considered if
there is not another more obvious reason for the
pain.
2
way
Our nervous system is a
2 way street. That is to say information travels in both
directions. If an organ or internal area of your body is
experiencing problems, it may manifest as musculo-skeletal
pain.
Other problems
Many of the gynae problems that women get cause back pain. So
too can gut problems. Pneumonia can cause severe back pain,
especially the lower ½ of the back of the ribcage. Cardiac
problems can cause pain in the upper back too.
Kidney
Stones
A classic example of
this is kidney stones.
Kidney stones hurt. They hurt beyond belief. If you’ve had
them you know what I mean. This is not a common complaint,
but when it happens it is
staggering. If you have sudden
severe and unrelenting or recurring with no apparent
reason back pain, it may be kidney stones. Go and see your
doctor.
Gynae
Some of the common
problems women get with their periods are caused
or made worse by spinal strain.
Nerves come out
of the spine
This is because the
nerve supply to the reproductive organs come from the spine.
If there is strain and inflammation at a spinal segment
where one or more of these nerves comes out of the spine,
those nerves can become irritated and inflamed. When
this happens those nerves may not function properly and
when they don't, the body part those nerves go to can't
function properly either.
Nerve
Supply
The nerves to our
reproductive systems come from the mid back (T10 to L2), and
low back (L4 to S2). Women who have
problems in these areas can get pain, cramping, bloating,
heavy periods or have trouble falling
pregnant.
Obscure
solution
The solution to the
womens problems that are caused by spinal dysfunction is to
fix the spinal problems. Start by stretching and
exercising.
Overlooked
Of course spinal dysfunction is not the
only cause of reproductive system problems in women but if
it is, it has probably been overlooked by your doctor or
gynaecologist. If this may be you, go and see an osteopath
or other suitably qualified professional for a spinal
assessment.
Arthritis
Arthritis is the most common
disease process that causes musculo-skeletal
pain.
Osteoarthritis
is by far the most common type of arthritis. Osteo means
bone, arth means joint and itis means
inflammation.
It is most commonly
caused by stiff joints,
misaligned bones and tight or weak muscles, overuse or old
injury.
3 Main Causes of
muscle, joint & back pain
♦ Strain ♦
Damage ♦ Reflex
The least likely cause
of back pain is reflex pain from the
internal organs. More likely it is caused
bydamage caused by disease or trauma.
By far the most likely cause is
strain caused by trauma or long term
postural problems – moving, standing, sitting,
working.
If you have back pain
caused by an organ problem or disease, you first and
foremost need to get that treated. You always need to go to
the cause of the problem, then address the
symptoms.
Seek Medical
Attention
If you have pain from
damage caused by trauma, you need medical
attention. Especially if it is
spinal trauma. Or if there was a loss of
consciousness. These definitely need proper assessment. If
in doubt, get it checked out.
Do what you can for the
damage, then do what you can for the
strain.
Number 1
Cause
The most likely cause
of chronic and recurring muscle, joint and back
pain is strain caused by stiff joints,
misaligned bones and tight, weak muscles.
Reduce or
Eliminate
That means if you get
your joints moving well, your bones properly
aligned and your muscles supple and strong, you
have an excellent chance of eliminating or
reducing and better managing your pain.
The
best way to do that is with plenty of stretching and
exercising.
Stretch Every
Day
If you have
chronic or recurring muscle, joint or back pain, you
need to at least stretch for a few
minutes a few times a day.
Exercise
Exercise enough to raise your heart
rate, respiratory rate and a sweat, at least 3
times week. Simple.
To learn which
stretches you should do and exactly how to do them,
find yourself a suitably qualified and experienced teacher
or you check out my DVD.
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