At this time of year, many people are focused on fitness. It’s worth taking a look at what fitness really means. One definition of “fit” is being “sound physically and mentally, or being healthy.” Considering that definition, many “fitness” routines fall short of the goal. If you don’t enjoy running and dread every workout, you’re probably falling short of the “sound mentally” portion. Exercise should be enjoyable, reduce stress, and leave you feeling better, not worse.
What about the old adage “No Pain no Gain”? Exercise should also leave you feeling better physically. If you can run a fast 5k, but then have aches and pains for days after, you’re potentially really not that “sound physically.” If you are increasing your weight in the squat rack, but your joint pain is increasing right along with the increased workload, then this is a bad sign. Sure, some temporary muscle soreness and fatigue after a hard workout is normal. But if you’re having pain that doesn’t go away, persistent sore joints, or trouble moving after exercise, you’re probably developing a movement dysfunction along with your “fitness”.
So what is Movement Dysfunction? One definition of dysfunction is “impaired or abnormal functioning.” So then a movement dysfunction is altered, impaired or abnormal movement. When someone has a movement problem he/she might develop a sore joint, limited range of motion, or strength loss as the brain tries to find an alternate way to get the body to do the tasks that it is being asked to do. That usually means moving in a way that is less than optimal. For a while, it works. But eventually it leads to injury. As an example, think of someone who has trouble bending one knee while doing squats. When one knee bends further than the other, it will cause one side of the pelvis to drop lower than the other. Now that the pelvis isn’t level, the spine bends towards the high side to keep the upper body balanced. When one side of the pelvis drops lower than the other one, in addition to tilting it also usually rotates. Now the spine has to bend to the high side and also twist in the direction opposite the pelvic rotation in order to keep you upright. This works for a while, but as weight gets added to the squat and the repetitions add up, so increase the risk for a back, hip, or knee injury.
Consider some preventative “medicine”. Pain during workouts, or pain and soreness that don’t go away after exercise can be warning signs of a movement dysfunction. If you’re experiencing any of these issues, be aware that your physical therapist is a movement expert who can help. PTs are trained to analyze movement and figure out the root cause of problems. They can then design a corrective movement program to treat the cause of pain and to correct the abnormal patterns. There is no need to wait until you’re injured to see your physical therapist. In fact, it’s preferable not to. Getting minor problems fixed early typically means fewer visits to therapy, less pain, and less chance of having your workouts put on hold by injury. So if you’re realizing that your movement is awkward in any way, consider scheduling a physical therapy “check-up”. Your body will thank you for it!