What if instead of viewing the tightness that occurs from an injury as a hinderance and nagging, we view it as a blessing, as helpful & healing? And what if instead of trying to fight it, by stretching, massaging deeply & voiding the pain with medicine, we allow our body be hurt and let the immune system do its job?
For hours after my fall, actually the entire evening - I could not turn my head and there was a dull ache in my shoulder & neck. It was accompanied with feelings of anger and disappointment. I didn't sleep well.
In the morning, I was very stiff, in fact...I SNEEZED and my entire back tightened up for about an hour!!!! A sneeze!?!? About an hour later with a small twist & bend, I felt my spine pop in about 10 places simultaneously and it felt incredible!!!. How about that for an adjustment? I was now just a bit stiff, but with motion, I could turn my head again!
The next day, I got some discomfort in one side of my neck & one side of my low back and then the next day the neck switched sides.
By the 3rd day after the injury I just had just a few aches remaining. That afternoon, everything was feeling better. It was incredible to feel how my body shifted the tightness around over the course of a few days, most likely because it was repairing the micro-tears in the muscular tissue. If I had to guess it was moving from the areas that needed most, to the areas that needed it least.
I realized, some of the discomfort I felt throughout this healing process was indeed very familiar. About 4 years ago, I had chronic lower back pain on one side and a very stiff neck most of the time. Being 22 years old, it seemed very unfortunate and I proceeded to seek out various modalities, with very little hope. A very talented chiropractor helped me a great deal, but I was still left with nothing to help alleviate this pain permanently. Most of you do not know me as someone with pain in my body, but you do know that I went through a program called Muscle Activation Techniques that I am now very passionate about.
During the past 3 years, I went through a process very unappealing to most of our culture because of its requirement of time and effort... Yes, Pam would work on me, Jake would evaluate me - but I had to do corrective exercises to strengthen my weakness, I had to re-learn my posture, re-train my movement and I am still working on it to this day. Because, 20 years of compensation cannot be eliminated overnight! I am not going to lie, its tedious, but it is also incredible how with some time and attention, the body can heal itself. I chose not to “fix” my pain by wearing a back brace, a neck brace, with heat, with drugs, or with surgery. Rather than avoid it, I faced it, I did it the hard way, I re-trained myself with the help of some of the most gifted practitioners I have met to this day.
I have no doubt that when I pushed myself too far that afternoon, my body resumed its old habits that were learned for a decade or two, it became injured, it went back to its old compensation patterns. But if that was all it did, then I am lucky! I know my body has a hundred times more integrity than it did 3 years ago. Personal Trainers are supposed to be the healthiest around, right? Then ask yours if they have any pain in their body. Go ahead, ask them if everything feels 100% or at least close, because in my experience many people we seek help from, have not even helped themselves yet. And that is how I came to choose my practitioner, Pamela Minix, MATs, RTSm. She works just as hard on her own health and she does on her clients and has been through a healing process. How can a teacher guide others if they haven't been on the journey themself?
I had to wonder what kind of shape what would have happened that day without all of the mechanics that had been re-trained for months and months? Might that wake-boarding incident have been the final straw that tore a ligament? That fractured a vertebrae? That bulged a disc? You see, when these unfortunate “injuries” occur, it is not because of the incident that takes the blame, its because of compensation over time and that final injury is just the straw that broke the camels back as they say. These issues, just like heart disease compound over time, we know its not the last cheeseburger eaten that puts a person into cardiac arrest, its the combination of poor health habits over time.
The take-home message is this. If you heal your body naturally with hard work and focus, then the body will forever know how to do take care of itself naturally. If you choose to use drugs, devices & quick fixes (which they do have a place) for your healing, then your body will always need those modalities to feel better. The beauty of healthcare and the reason I am so passionate about prevention, is because for the most part we have all of the tools we need to take care of ourself, within. It is a matter to learning how to use those tools that becomes the difficult part and that's why it is wonderful to seek out practitioners to guide you along the way. Modern Medicine is fascinating and incredible, but the powers of the body and the mind should not be left taken for granted.
