Every day, people are exercising and unknowingly expose themselves to future or immediate injuries. They are choosing to build fitness rather than dysfunction. Their body doesn’t function properly if they have dysfunction. Problems could arise in the muscles or joints. It could also be related to connective tissue problems (e.g., the fascia and the ligaments).
Scott Smalls, 38, is a freelance sports writer from Pittsburgh. Scott works out three to four days per week at the gym. Scott’s low back pains when he plays or exercises. His lower back feels as if it is being held down by a vice. Scott perseveres despite the discomfort and pain. He continues to do his workouts. Scott is suffering from back pain. Why is Scott not doing something about the problem?
Scott has low-back dysfunction. Scott’s joints don’t move correctly. His spine is unstable and he has tight hamstrings. He is working out, lifting weights and cardio. This is helping him to build fitness instead of dysfunction. He is now suffering from chronic pain and is at high risk for developing accelerated degenerative conditions in his muscles, joints, and discs.
Building fitness over dysfunction leads to diminished athletic performance, acute injuries, chronic & reoccurring problems (such as rolled ankles, rotator cuff tears, hip movement disorders and lower back sprain-strains).
It is a huge problem that dysfunctions are not being diagnosed, treated and corrected. To determine if someone is suffering from musculoskeletal dysfunction, they must undergo a performance screening exam. It is not just for those in pain right now, but all who may be experiencing them. How many people have ever gone to the effort of running a performance screen before engaging in any type of exercise or sport? Did the doctor have enough knowledge about biomechanics and posture to examine joint motion, soft tissues integrity, posture, core stability, and other aspects that affect total body function for the people who went to see them?
The new gold standard in musculoskeletal function correction is the MAS Correction. It’s known as MAS Correction. MAS is an acronym which stands for Motion-Alignment-Strength. Many musculoskeletal issues are due to dysfunction in motion, alignment, or strength. Movement is crucial for a happy life and for optimum athletic performance. Our bodies begin to stop functioning properly when they are not moving in the right way. Joint motion, muscle motion and movement patterns are all important for healthy motion. This includes motion patterns that involve multiple parts of the body working together (such the shoulders or the thoracic spine). The spine is just as important as any suspension bridge or other building. A bridge that is not structurally sound can cause it to collapse, according to mechanical engineers. A building that isn’t supported on a level foundation will collapse. Like the Leaning Tower of Pisa’s spine, a crooked one doesn’t offer mechanical stability. Your spine won’t have the strength to handle all of your daily activities if it lacks core stability. This can lead to chronic pain, and repeated injuries in the same places. A program that is designed specifically to identify and fix functional weaknesses and help stabilize and strengthen your spine is essential. To do this we run a series functional tests on our patients to determine if there are any weak spots. Then we prescribe exercises to strengthen those isolated muscle groups which are suspected to be lacking the appropriate degree of strength & stability.
It is important to address movement first, alignment second and stability/strength last. Re-injury is more likely if you don’t address them in the right order. To ensure that you are not at high risk for injury, I suggest everyone who plays or exercises in sports use MAS Correction protocols. Prevention is more cost-effective, simpler and cheaper than dealing with injuries once they have occurred.