By Antonino Balistreri
Traumas and injuries disrupt the natural balance of the body and trigger the phenomenon of injury pattern in our body.
When we receive a trauma to our body, the force does not merely pass through the body structures. The energy of the impact leaves an impression on bones and muscles but also on the nervous system that will rearrange itself around the traumatic episode.
For example a trauma in the hip or knee or foot area can alter the gait of the body bringing with it dysfunction on the musculoskeletal system. For instance the trauma will instaurate a compensatory pattern movements that will force the body to use one leg more than the other one. This will create muscle tension in one side that will lead to a dysfunctional gait if the area affected won’t be treated. Sometimes, when the trauma is light, the body can restore its previous balance and no intervention is needed. If instead the trauma is of a greater entity and the healing process takes more time to heal the body may fail to completely restore the previous balance thus altering the forces between and within the muscles. The process in the end will change the way of how the person walk, lunge, bend, lift.
According to the entity of the trauma the change of the body mechanics can disrupt structures which are apparently not linked to the trauma itself. A blow in the hip can disrupt the mechanics of the knee or foot because of the intimate interconnections of the muscles that attach on those joints; a blow in the low back area can disrupt the mechanics of the neck area because the vertebral column get affected and its force transference compromised. All these compensatory movements made by the body via the nervous system will reduce the perception of pain but will lead to an unnatural posture.
This paradigm emphasizes the osteopathic principle of “Holistic-ness”. In short this principle states that the human body is an integrated unit where its structures and its functions are reciprocally interdependent.
If you are recovering from an injury get in touch with Antonino to see how he can help via the Contact form.