The hip bone is connected to the thigh bone
When debating on what to talk about this month, I have reflected on themes that have popped up in several conversations in the clinic.
Our bodies are integrated units and what might show up as one thing is often masking a problem in a different area.
Let me share an example of that...
Mr X came to me with lower back pain, which had started six weeks ago and was getting increasingly worse. He had been diligently doing the stretching exercises I had given him for a previous presentation of lower back pain, but it was not improving.
When we started talking, it emerged that he had fallen and fractured his knee cap in January. He had been put in a brace and used crutches, as well as needing to rest to allow it to heal. The healing process had taken longer than he had hoped, but by the Summer he felt more mobile. He then enjoyed a three week holiday in August with plenty of walking. In September the back pain started.
As I examined him, I identified he was standing with a slightly bent knee and his pelvis was tilted sideways. The long period of relative inactivity while his knee was healing had caused some muscle weakness and joint stiffness. The walking was likely to have been done with a slight limp due to the bent knee and tilted pelvis. So gradually his back started screaming at him.
As a chiropractor, my job is to help Mr X achieve better mobility in his back and advise him on how to reduce the symptoms. However, in order to get rid of the problem he needs to work on his leg too. I am sharing exercises to build up the strength in his leg as well as resuming his back exercise once the pain is under control.
Recognising that there is a connection throughout our bodies that affects how they work and function is key to good recovery. Sometimes we can't "fix" a joint or muscle, through degeneration or long standing injury for example. It may be that Mr X's leg may never fully straighten again. However, by identifying weaknesses and working on those, we can often improve function and decrease pain, even if it is never fully fixed. Such is the amazing ability of our bodies to "cope".