In the twelve years I have worked in the fitness industry, I have observed a lack of effectiveness in the techniques used by most athletes to combat chronic pain. Today I am on a mission to set some things straight with regard to what it takes to address pain issues effectively.
In the twelve years I have worked in the fitness industry, I have observed a lack of effectiveness in the techniques used by most athletes to combat chronic pain. Today I am on a mission to set some things straight with regard to what it takes to address pain issues effectively.
My training and background in pain relief is simple. I healed myself after being in a wheelchair for almost a year. After visiting over twenty health care practitioners, undergoing arthroscopic surgery to my hip, and still not getting better, I finally realized my problem was nothing other than a simple alignment issue. Once my alignment was corrected, my pain was gone. It was that simple. It was that mind-blowingly simple.
This perspective allows me to see the bigger picture of posture when working with myself and my clients. I don’t get caught up in the complicated details of the symptoms, which is a mistake I see many fitness and medical practitioners make today.
The Pain Stops Here
This real-life training was reinforced when I completed a course at Egoscue University in San Diego, California, after which I earned the title Posture Alignment Specialist. I attribute 100 percent of the techniques I practice to Pete Egoscue and his therapy technique, which literally saved my life.
In terms of formal education, I have a psychology degree and multiple fitness certifications. This is the foundation upon which I have built my knowledge base. But I do not attribute my practical understanding of how to rid the body of pain and improve physical function to any of this training or education.
By no means am I a physical therapist, chiropractor, or even a doctor. Yet, my clients have gone through all forms of chiropractic care, practiced mobility techniques on themselves, and even gone to sports medicine doctors and physical therapists before coming to see me without getting better. Many people come to me with resignation and maybe a glimmer of hope that this will be their last stop. Most of the time, it is.
Now Is the Time
My intention with every video that I create and every article I write is to spread the wealth, and to teach others the simple, easy-to-apply methodologies and practices that have gotten me out of severe pain. The better you can understand these simple principles, the more power you have in combating chronic pain with your clients and yourself.
This video demonstrates how to assess where the body is misaligned, and how different parts of the body work together. The main takeaway points are:
- Even if you don’t have pain, now is the time to diagnose your posture. You most likely have misalignments that can be problematic later on and can quickly be corrected.
- Posture can improve easily and quickly, as we see with immediate shifts in Lindsay’s balance and alignment after performing one simple exercise.
Physics and Pain
Stay tuned for the third installment of this series, where I will further explicate the relationship between physics and pain and show you how to get physics to work in your favor instead of against you.
More Like This:
- Banish Pain Permanently: 3 Self Assessment Tools
- 3 Simple Exercises to Combat Slumped Shoulders
- How You’re Sabotaging Your Posture and Your Time in the Gym
- New on Breaking Muscle Today
Photo courtesy of Jorge Huerta Photography.
