Dead Toes

Being a trainer I run across aches and pains quite often in my clients.  My ability to understand these pains, diagnose them, and help people recover is widely important.  Thankfully, because I am so active, and I do deal with aches and pains myself, I have developed a deeper understanding with these issues, and I am becoming more effective with applying proper care.

Client: "My knee hurts."
Me: "Ok.  Dull pain?  Sharp pain?  And where is it hurting?"

Client: "When I lift my arm this way it hurts."
Me: "Ok.  Look at your elbow and wrist position.  Good.  Now drop your shoulders, rotate your hand..."

So much of what I do is introduce people to their bodies.  Beyond the science of energy systems, the musculoskeletal system, and basic physiology principles for training, nutrition, and performance, beyond all the noise coming out of classrooms and muscle magazines, I want you to take your body out on a date.  Get to know yourself, your body, how it feels, should feel, can feel, and wants to feel.

We were made to move.  Bio-mechanically, the diversity of movement within our anatomical reach is staggering and quite beautiful to watch.  Sadly, though, we have disengaged from our most primitive explorations--the discovery of our selves performing to survive and communicate.  So, when we get "hurt" or feel discomfort we immediately want to be medicated, numbed, bandaged--we want to be told what is wrong and not figure it our ourselves.

Take for example, my left knee bothering me for years.  It doesn't quite hurt.  But it feels alien at times, like it doesn't listen or come from me.  So, I've worked and worked, stretched, altered my training, rested, and did all I could, but to no avail; the same knee issue persisted. 

Only until recently, did I move into my feet and realize that my knee issues were directly related to how I use them.  My left foot had a few "dead" toes, and the outside of my foot was cold to the touch.  I wasn't engaging or using my foot properly, and this had been the case for years.  How then could I expect to fire properly out of my leg, if my foundation of movement was weak?  It all made sense, I had finally found the first domino.

The excitement that persist in my discovery of my "dead" toes and cold feet is quite nerdy, I know.  But I have something to work with now.  I can do this myself.  And I can hold myself together, naturally, for the long run.

Know that nothing empowers you more than making these types of discoveries for yourself.
There are no simple answers.
Develop a consistent dialogue with your body.
Constantly ask yourself questions and listen attentively.

Your body is forever changing, healing, and evolving to your lifestyle and requests.