The Body's Tug of War
- Jul 27, 2016
- 2 min read
I laugh out loud every time I watch this!! It never gets old! It's such a classic example of the body's tug of war. The body is constantly trying to compensate for things that happen to us or for things that we inflict on ourselves, like George here. Let's talk about it!
With my work, I've noticed compensation working mainly in two ways. Everyone is generally familiar with the right/left compensation (i.e. George Costanza and his wallet) but I want to discuss the more sleuth-like way your body compensates. Agonist to Antagonist. Stay with me....
Your body compensates with opposite action, with agonists and antagonists. "A deficit in the flexibility or strength in an agonist muscle must be compensated for by the antagonistic muscle, leading to dysfunction." Are you still with me? Keep reading! I will explain!
A great example is a type of sciatica caused by tight muscles. The sciatic nerve gets trapped by a tight piriformis, a glute muscle, which is usually working overtime to help out other weak surrounding glute muscles. At the same time, its antagonistic muscles, the hip flexors, are probably tight. So, a possible solution...stretch the hip flexors and strengthen and massage the glutes. This can take the pressure off the piriformis, thus taking the pressure off the sciatic nerve. Isn't the body so incredible??
So, my comprehensive approach involves continuously thinking outside the box. Your intricately connected body may be trying to help a larger problem, and the answer is usually not evident at the beginning. It usually takes time with assessments and conversations to think of solutions for pain relief. And, make sure you tell me if you see a chiropractor, physical therapist, or personal trainer so that we can combine our efforts!
And men....if you are doing a George Costanza....put your wallet in your front pocket. And, if you can't, it may be time to simplify :)
*This is an informational blog only and shouldn't be construed as a substitute for medical examination, diagnosis, and/or treatment, and that you should see a medical physician, chiropractic doctor, or other health care specialist to address concerns that are outside the massage therapist's scope of practice.
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