Knee pain? Lets fix your back! or nothing happens in isolation
Posted on | June 6, 2008 | 1 Comment
Human body is a recondite system, constructed out of quite a few parts. Those parts work together, and work quite well(until we mess it up, anyway). All of those parts are connected.
Everything is connected!
There is even a song about it – ankle bone connected to the knee bone, knee bone connected to the thigh bone, thigh bone connected to the… and on it goes.
Realization that nothing happens in isolation was an ‘Aha!’ moment for me and a 180 degree turn for Workout IQ Fitness Training Program.
Examples?
- Emotions cause physical pain, it is a fact that emotional stress affects our bodies on a physical level and happy people tend to be healthy(read “Happy, Be“)
- All joints, tendons, muscles are connected and affect one another
In other words, when it comes to our bodies, everything is connected to everything. Feelings, muscles, emotions, cells, liver, heart, tendons, joints – all form a great blob of super-fun-tasticity(I made that word up).
That is why when it comes to wellness and health we must approach our bodies on a holistic(as one whole unit) level.
Typical problem: Chronic knee pain.
Typical solution is to get the muscles around the knee stronger(physical therapy, anyone?), so that there is more support and no pain. Does it work? Short term, yes.
Holistic approach entails examining body as a whole. We analyze pelvic tilt/elevation, femoral rotation, ankle and foot position, spinal alignment, shoulder and overall joint alignment. Why? There is a good chance that the knee pain is NOT caused by the achy knee. Pain in the knee is the result of compensation that resulted from other dysfunction.
In my experience most knee problems come from LOWER BACK.
Usually improper pelvic tilt(from too much sitting) puts too much pressure on the lower back. To avoid it body compensated by bending knees.
Test: Stand tall. Are your knees locked? If not(the should be), you’re standing/walking/running on bent knees. I’ll go even further to tell you that you suffer from knee pain. Am I right?
So, to avoid back pain, your body compensated and as a result people walk around on bent knees – just look around!
Since knees are bent all the time, they get overworked and achy.
Sure, you can get the muscles around the knee stronger. Result? You will be able to go a little bit longer(you’re stronger, after all) on your bent knees, but the end result is always the same. Knee pain!
The only way to resolve the knee pain, in this case, is to correct the pelvic tilt and to remind the body how to use knees properly.
Remember, everything is connected and nothing happens in isolation.
Quick tip for knee pain suffers:
Note the level of pain in the knee(0-10 where 10 is the worst pain ever);
stand tall(preferably against a wall), flex your butt muscles. Hold contraction for 2 seconds, relax. Do 3 sets of 20.
Walk around – how is your knee feeling now?
Why it works – gluteal contractions bring pelvis into a more neutral state thus relieving your lower back. Body doesn’t have to compensate as much and tension/ache in the knee is relieved.
enjoy!
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Tags: chronic pain > How To Fix Bad Posture > knee pain > pain > postural therapy > posture
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One Response to “Knee pain? Lets fix your back! or nothing happens in isolation”
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November 5th, 2008 @ 6:08 am
Emotions cause physical pain,
does it cause pain in your back? just wondering