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Top 10 Myths About Injuries

5/1/2017

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Myth 1: Injuries are the result of bad luck. 
Truth: Scientifically there is not such thing as bad luck, thus that can't be the cause of injuries. All injuries are caused by something concrete and with enough investigation the underlying cause can be found and fixed or eliminated, which will help that injury heal faster and more completely and help prevent future injuries. Start your investigation with a free posture evaluation.
Myth 2: Injuries are from overuse. 
Truth: As I've talked about previously, overuse is a myth in the way it is talked about, and "overuse injuries" should really be called "improper use injuries". Read more here.
Myth 3: Injuries run in the family and are genetic. 
Truth: Genetics determine our hair color and how tall we are, but not whether we get injuries or not. Just because your father and two bothers all tore their ACLs doesn't mean your ACL injury was caused by genetics. Learn how to prevent ACL injuries here and here. 
Myth 4: Injuries heal fastest with rest.
Truth: All injuries need rest but they also need movement. Movement increases blood flow which speeds the evacuation of waste materials and delivery of oxygen and nutrients. Moving the injured area carefully and gently will improve healing time and can decrease negative scar tissue from forming. The key is keeping movement gentle, slow, easy, and as pain free as possible. 
Myth 5: Injuries are caused by a weak core.
Truth: Most injuries are not caused by a weak core. Most injuries are caused by posture imbalances. Most injuries are one sided. Think about it: you injure your right knee, or left ankle, or right shoulder, or left side of your low back. Most injuries are not to both shoulders at the same time or both hips - it's either or right or left side. Why? Because you have posture imbalances left to right in your body. Yes most physical therapists immediately tell you your core is weak and give you exercises to strengthen it, but that is doing nothing to fix the cause of your injury. Learn more about your core here and here. 
Myth 6: Injuries only happen in competitive sports. 
Truth: Professional athletes are actually less likely to get injuries than you are. Why? They are much more well trained than you are. They have better strength, flexibility, agility, endurance, than you. Many of them have better postural alignment and balance than you also, but most still have pretty obvious imbalances which is why they still do get injured. Learn more here and here and here. 
Myth 7: Once you injure a joint, it will always be prone to re-injury. 
Truth: It is true re-injury rates are alarming: ACL up to 60%, disc herniation up to 20%, rotator cuff up to 80%, ankle sprain up to 30%, etc. The reason re-injury rates are so high is because most people treat the injury, but never fix the underlying cause of the injury. It's like this: You spilled a box of nails on your driveway and you drive over them and your car gets a flat tire. You repair your tire and then get another flat the next day as you drive over the nails again. It's no surprise you got another flat tire! You forgot to pick up the spilled nails on your driveway! When we correct or fix the cause of the injury we can prevent future re-injury. Learn more here and here. 
Myth 8: Your knee hurts, so it must be a knee problem. 
Truth: Knee injuries are almost never caused by a knee problem, just as back injuries are almost never caused by a back problem. Knee injuries and back injuries are related to your ankles, knees, hips, spine, and shoulders because your body is a unit and everything works together. If you injure your right knee it could very well be because your left hip is weak causing you to overload your right knee. If you injure your lower back it is probably because your hips and upper back have lost mobility and function putting increased stress on your lower back. Again the key is finding and fixing the underlying cause of your injury, not just treating the injury itself. Learn more by doing a free posture evaluation. 
Myth 9: When the pain goes away, you are healed and ready to return to activity.
Truth: Pain is a strong message from the body to stop and take notice. But being pain free does not mean you are 100% better and ready to return to full activity. Pain signals can be blocked, ignored, covered up, or dulled by pain medications, symptom based treatments, or your brain but reduced or eliminated pain tells you very little or nothing about your body's readiness to return to an active life. Restoration of alignment and function is a much better indicator of readiness to return to activity than level of pain is. Pain is not an indicator of function or capability and being pain free does not mean you will not get injured. Want an alignment and function test? Contact me today for a free assessment. 
Myth 10: You can do it alone. 
Truth: The truth is, if you're injured or in pain, you need help from a qualified professional. Or to say it another way, if you didn't need help, you'd already be pain free. But you already know this intuitively. The reason you are hesitant to seek help is because experts have let you down before. You know what I'm talking about: you are in pain and go to your doctor/physical therapist/chiropractor for help. What they say is the problem and the treatments they offer don't make common sense to you and after following through with their recommendations you're still not better. The key is finding someone who really listens to you and only following their recommendations if it makes intuitive and common sense. I'm happy to offer you a free posture evaluation and consultation where you can see if Posture Alignment Therapy is right for you. 

Related articles/videos:
10 biggest myths about your body

Could a simple misunderstanding really cause all my pain?
Choosing Wisely and how to live a pain free and active life
10 design perfections in the human body
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    About Matt Whitehead

    I'm an Egoscue Institute certified Postural Alignment Specialist (PAS) and Advanced Exercise Therapist (AET), certified personal trainer, PatchFitness performer, FiveFingers wearer, trail runner, mountain biker, dad, music lover, environmentalist, and wanna-be slam dunk champion. I will be providing you with the latest posture exercises to help you live, play, and be pain free.

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