Can you move equally between sides? Is one side stronger or weaker?
(Saying one side can mean differences between the right or left sides of the body, front and back, and any areas where there are opposite motions.)
đ© If youâre not balanced, youâre more prone to aches, pains, and injuries. Itâs not a guarantee that youâll end up hurt, but the more out of balance you are, the more stress is placed on your body.
đ Itâs similar to your car tires. They recommend rotating and balancing your tires periodically so that they wear evenly. If not, you may end up replacing your tires sooner than expected because they wore out quicker. Weâre the same way. Parts of us can wear out sooner and develop pain or injury if weâre not in balance.
It also doesnât matter how fit you are, if youâre a sedentary office worker or a professional athlete. We all have imbalances. Addressing those imbalances helps to prevent injury, alleviate pain when it appears, and improves performance in daily life or sports. Many musculoskeletal pain issues are due to muscle and joint imbalances.
đ What I do as a physical therapist is to identify WHY that imbalance is there. If you have right shoulder pain, is it simply because youâre stronger in your right arm because thatâs your dominant hand and thus you use it more? Or could there be shoulder stiffness? Maybe trunk weakness on one side? Maybe spine stiffness limiting your overhead reach? Maybe a little of any or all of those? This is what I sort through in an evaluation.
â Until the root cause of an issue is found, trying to get rid of pain or recurring injuries may seem to be a never ending process full of lots of things that treat symptoms, but never fully fixes the problem or for any length of time.
â Tired of being hurt, limited by pain or not able to train or race to your potential? Iâd love to help you get balanced! Text or call me at 865-409-1782!
