by Dr James Nguyen
Bursitis, knee pain, hip pain and ankle pain. These are just a few of the symptoms we see walking through a chiropractic office daily, and a common question is what causes this and what can I do to help get rid of it. The common answer between the two is movement!
Movement is a key biomechanical process that takes place all over the human body, whether it is blood moving around to get rich oxygenated plasma to tissue, or food getting digested and relayed to the appropriate body site. Cells, tissue, organs and the organ systems of the body all work together and rely on each other to transport the appropriate needs in order to maintain the life and health of an organism. So in an injury/pathology, where is the breakdown?
A lack of communication/movement of free flowing messages from the brain to the appropriate site. This may be due to a tear in a muscle/ligament or an impinged nerve in the vertebral column all leading to a breakdown in communication from one site to the other.
A common misconception in recent history has been that in order to appropriately heal an injury, we need to rest it. However all the recent research and evidence points to the contrary. Your body is designed to move, and efficient movement involves numerous muscles and joints working together simultaneously.
When one part of the body moves, it can influence motion at all other parts of the body hence allowing for the most important body process to occur. With a lack of mobility, comes the buildup of scar tissue. Scar tissue does not function as well as normal tissue. And in order to get rid of scar tissue, movement in the joint/muscle is needed.
Some published benefits to movement include:
- Increasing the functionality of joints
- Assist in better quality sleep
- Improving mental health
- Resolving sources of pain
