Are You Lax?

When people come into the clinic, it's usually because they are in some degree of pain.  And that pain often impacts the way folks move.  It is my job a a physical therapist to help get people out of pain through manual techniques, modalities, exercise and education.  But it's also to assess and analyze peoples' movement competencies and to offer plans to help minimize their injury risk and maximize their performance.

Broadly speaking, healthy movement requires both MOBILITY and STABILITY.  Mobility is the capacity of each one of your joints to move through their maximal ranges.  Stability is you ability to control those given ranges via your muscular and nervous systems, in various positions and environments.

One of the things that I'm looking for when I assess my patients is whether or not their movement dysfunctions are mobility or stability-based.  It matters, because addressing a mobility deficit with a stability intervention (or a stability deficit with a mobility intervention) is likely going to have you spinning your wheels.  You may find short-term relief while not being able to make long-term, meaningful progress.

Here is a quick example.  If someone feels as though their hamstrings are constantly in need of stretching, yet they can easily reach their toes with their knees fully extended in standing or long sitting, then mobility isn't necessarily that person's issue.  Their hamstrings might feel consistently tight because they are constantly firing to offer missing stability elsewhere in the kinetic chair (e.g., the core/trunk).  In this example, the best approach would probably be to back of the constant hamstring stretching and instead to focus on stabilizing the deficient core musculature.  

Find out what is or isn't mobile/stabile first, and then you'll better be able to design a proper approach towards improving your movement.

Here's a quick way to see if you're a hypermobile individual, meaning that your joints (due to genetics) have plenty of mobility already and therefore do not require a mobility approach.  If you find that you can do these moves, the best approach would be to get to work learning how to stabilize your already mobile joints.

Free Advice

This past Sunday as I was walking out of Orange Theory, someone asked me to take a look at her ankle.  She had rolled it the day prior during a Tough Mudder race.  I obliged and gave her a quick assessment, offering her some advice about how to treat her simple ankle sprain.  As I was doing so, someone else stopped and asked me to take a look at his knee.  After giving him some advice on his sprained lateral collateral ligament, another person asked me to take a look at her shoulder.

I love what I do for a living.  And I love trying to help people feel and move better.  I will never say "no" when asked for my opinion.

However, as I have written in the past about offering "fly by" advice regarding painful conditions, it can be a tricky thing.  For one, finding the root cause of pain beyond the actual inflamed tissue can take some time.  Many questions need to be asked, followed by a thorough movement screen and an objective physical examination.  This usually requires some testing of people on a plinth (medical table).  It can involve exposing skin so that a joint can be assessed.  It can involve asking people to walk, squat, get up from the floor, etc.   Therefore, doling out solid advice on the run isn't always easy.

I don't ever want my response to people seeking my advice to be, "Make an appointment to come see me."  I don't want folks to think that I will only see them if I'm going to be compensated.  Many things can be assessed easily, with sound advice provided, in a five minute window.  But many cannot.  You deserve to have a thorough evaluation, not just a half-baked diagnosis.

As always, there's an answer to this dilemma.  And it involves a compromise (and offer).

I've decided to allot two 30-minute time slots to FREE assessments during my two days (one on Tuesdays/one on Thursdays) in my Garden City clinic.  This means that you'll have to come in to see me.  It doesn't mean that I want you to stop asking for advice.  Please, continue to ask away!  It just means that you'll get better advice by allowing me the proper time and space to best assess you.

So, if you or anyone you know has any nagging aches or pains that you'd like to have looked at, feel free to give me call.  You don't have to worry about seeing a doctor first or about dealing with your insurance.  Easy is the goal.

If interested, please visit my website for my contact information.  http://www.resolutionpt.com/  If you call, please be sure to alert Nancy, Pedro or Stephanie that you are seeking a FREE assessment so that you will be scheduled accordingly.