Imagine for a moment that your body is composed of a Team of players
magine your body as a Team of players – like a sporting Team, or a work organisation – each with their own roles and responsibilities. The ultimate success of the Team requires each member of the Team to contribute in their own special way. Just as individuals have varying strengths and weaknesses, so to our bodies may have strengths and weaknesses, based on genetics, our history of movement (training, sports, work), injuries, diseases, and age.
At times it is possible that one member of the Team may become dysfunctional to the point that they are actually holding the Team back from achieving the success that it is striving for. In this situation, the other Team members may be called upon to take on a bit more responsibility. Up to a point, the Team may still be able to successfully achieve its goals. But if the dysfunctional Team member had key responsibilities that were essential for success, and the rest of the Team was unable to effectively ‘fill the gap’, then the Team is heading for trouble.
Now back to the body – each part of the body – each ‘Team member’ – has a role to play in the body’s movement, and in maintaining a healthy body. If a part of the body is unable to contribute as required, due to strain, tightness, or tiredness, then other parts of the body start to take on the extra load, ensuring that to some degree we are still able to move and function. Over time, just as in a work or sporting environment, if a player is overworked, stress or injury can eventuate.
Let’s take an example: say you wake up one morning, and your neck hurts like hell. You can’t remember doing anything in the last few days that may have strained your neck. You head off to the osteopath, who after assessing you tells you that although the pain is coming from your neck, the main problem is the stiffness in your upper back. Ideally, when you move your head and neck your upper back (at the very least) takes part in the movement. If the upper back is stiff, the neck will have to ‘take up the slack’, assuming greater responsibility for the movement that you are asking of the body. Generally the body is very good at coping with these sort of challenges, but at times, when asked to do a bit to much (either through unaccustomed activity, or the slow build up of postural tension), pain may arise. To help you get back to normal your osteopath may work to reduce muscle tension and improve joint mobility in both the neck (the dysfunctional, painful part), and in the upper back (the dysfunctional, non painful part), as well as offering advice that addresses the reasons why the pain developed in the first place.
