The Path to Injury and Pain

Watch a child move and you cannot help but be entranced by their freedom and grace not to mention their energy. Their movements are performed with ease and spontaneity; and they sit and stand without the need for any support.

Unfortunately the pathway to adulthood is often fraught with many negative physical influences, such as physical and emotional stresses, postural constraints (eg, ill fitting desks and chairs), accumulated falls and bumps, injuries, a sedentary lifestyle, reduced time for exercise and degenerative changes in the spine and joints.

These individually small effects together produce a gradual and insidious decline in physical function. As a consequence, new and poorer patterns of movement develop, until efficiency of movement can become so compromised that the body's supporting structures begin to fail. Whilst a very gradual process that can go by unnoticed, it often only takes a small trauma to push the weakened structures over the edge to cause injury and pain.

Initially treatment is sought or medication taken which can settle the pain but because the underlying issues are not being addressed the problem recurs. Gradually the frequency, intensity and time taken to recover increases. Healing can only occur when the underlying issues are resolved.