UNDERSTANDING CAUSES OF JOINT PAIN

There are many knowledgeable people in the fitness world, but two of the guys that I am continuously looking to when I want to better understand how the human body moves are Gray Cook and Mike Boyle. Gray is a physical therapist and strength and conditioning specialist who authored the book MOVEMENT. Mike is also a strength and conditioning specialist, owner of Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning in the Boston area,  and training consultant to the Red Sox.

These gentlement introduced me to a concept called the "joint-by-joint" approach to training, which is especially beneficial when working with people who have movement issues. Gray simplifies things--he looks at the body as a series of joints stacked one on top of the other. Whether your goal is to maximize sports performance or just move better, our joints need to be trained for either better mobility or enhanced motor control (stability). The joints that generally need to be trained for increased mobility include the ankles, hips, thoracic spine, shoulder, middle and upper cervical spine, and wrists. Those that usually require better stability for the body are the knees, lumbar spine, scapula, lower cervical spine and elbows.

Unless you've had a contact injury, joint pain is often the result of poor joint function. You see, if a joint is not functioning correctly, the joint above and/or below will compensate so you aren't in constant pain. Oftentimes, for example, people with low back pain have tightness in their hips. So the lumbar spine is moving in ways it wasn't designed to, to make up for the lack of hip mobility.

Furthermore, many clinicians take a simple kinesiology approach--they treat the symptomatic joint only, then release the patient without checking the joints above and below. This is why the number one risk factor for being at risk for an injury is having a previous injury (and not necessarily to the same joint).

Before beginning an exercise program, and even more importantly if you're coming off of an injury, find someone certified to perform a complete movement assessment on you. While no screening system is 100% foolproof, taking the 10-15 minutes to complete the Functional Movement Screen could bring to light movement restrictions or muscle imbalances that make you more susceptible to another injury. To find a screener in your area, go to www.functionalmovement.com and click on the Find Certified Members tab, or call us here at 775.432.1356.