“If the load were always on the muscles, they would fatigue; if it were always on the fascia, they would stretch out. Moving back and forth between the two allows the body to make use of the best characteristics of both. We find that fascial stiffness and elasticity also play a significant role in many ballistic movements of the human body. How far you can throw a stone, how high you can jump, and how long you can run depend not only on the contraction of your muscle fibers, but also to a large degree on how well the elastic recoil properties of your fascial network are supporting these movements.” – Excerpt from The upcoming Third International Fascia Research Congress written by Thomas W. Findley, M.D., PhD
(Biomechanics)
If you are like me, at some point you were told that an athlete should have an ideal balance of mobility and stability.
You were told that you have to have a nice balance of both in order to function optimally.
This ideal then, is fundamental to your ability to function efficiently in all three planes of motion.
(Principles)
This is not a new concept. In fact, it is taught in every anatomy/kinesiology/biomechanics classroom and university throughout the world.
But yet there is this enormous void between what was originally taught in these college courses, and what has been put into practice for decades.
I know it probably sounds like I am making this up, but this is the reality.
I am not asking you, or anybody for that matter, to believe it, but you should at least be aware of it.
Once it enters your prefrontal cortex, I don’t have any control anyway. At the point of entry, it is all up to you, and you alone.
(Curiosity)
The current story is flawed in every sense of the word. And that is a tremendous disservice to you…the consumer/client/patient/athlete.
This is a huge problem throughout all areas of specialization.
(Chiropractic) (Physical Therapy) (Athletic Training) (Massage Therapy)
And it does not stop with you. The thought process is the same in high school sports and college sports. In fact, it even applies to all professional sports.
The March 2012 edition of ESPN The Magazine reported that Major League Baseball teams dished out 2.1 billion dollars to players on the Disabled List over a 4 year period (2007-2011).
(Prevention)
Do I have your attention yet?
It does not matter where and at what level you play, you should function better than you did prior to the injury.
Take a moment to reflect on the previous sentence.
The truth is, you were compensating prior to the pain/injury.
Injuries can be prevented, but you first have to know how to neurologically challenge each muscle to see if it can actually do what every anatomy book says it can do.
(Leverage)
And let’s not forget, you were forced to adapt because of the injury.
Pain is a driver. If you have ever dealt with an injury/setback, you consciously felt like you were compensating, and you were.
During that time, your brain unconsciously drove you into a position(s) where your brain sensed stability/safety. Your brain got you out of harm’s away. It protected you, without you even having to think about it.
It all started when you could no longer adapt. Then you experienced the pain on a conscious level.
When the pain was brought to the forefront of your awareness it was like an alarm sounding off. It was telling you that something is not right with the system(s).
The systems reached a threshold, and pain is the driver for you to do something.
Unfortunately, for athletes, even professional athletes, that something means…run (or play!) through it.
Can you see it?
It never fails. Your brain will always seek out (and find!) stability at a joint.
(Priorities)
Photograph by Kasey Olsen Swieter
It is not only what the specialist does (a technique) in practice that matters, it is the why, how and what they are doing that makes all the difference.
What do I mean?
Asking the question ‘why is this muscle(s) tight?’ is a good start, but it is not enough.
That question has always led the specialists to work on the tight muscle.
Then, within a short period of time, the same muscle(s) tightens up, again.
The question really is dead-on, but the science has shown that we have to lean on the specialist’s old brain, their prehistoric brain, just a little harder in order to make a change long-term, e.g., A habit.
(Leverage)
So, why do the specialists/gurus avoid the answer that is so clear it is almost painful for me to write?
(Curiosity)
wrote this about being practical, “Be aware that ‘being practical’ can sometimes be code language used by critics to marginalize your choices of freedom. Never forget that changing the world is not always a practical endeavor.”
