Everything is Environmental
TL; DR - All problems can be traced back to our environment. I categorise them into internal environment and external environment issues. If you want to prevent / avoid / reduce problems, become an expert in ‘you’ first, then modify your environment(s).
As usual, consult your healthcare provider before acting on any of the information below as it is provided for informative reasons only and may not be applicable to your case. Now that all is through, let's get to the blog.
What does Internal Environment and External Environment mean? These are terms I use in my clinic to discuss the different origins of problems.
Internal Environment
Your individual anatomy, physiology, and injury history make up your internal environment. Many of the issues in this area are beyond your "direct" ability to alter, yet they must still be taken into consideration. This is where effective treatment, when used skilfully, can be beneficial in a traditional healthcare context. To affect your capacity to move, we can focus treatment on the nerves, muscles, and bones.
Generally speaking, you can influence your "internal environment" by engaging in daily mobility or stretch routines, eating nutritious foods, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and breathing deeply.
External Environment
Your past and present behaviours and the actual settings you frequently occupy make up your external environment and are important to your circumstance. In other words, these are the "what," "where," and "how" of your daily activities. Through activity adjustment, strengthening/rehabilitation, and exposure management, we manage these in a healthcare context.
You can influence your "external environment" by setting up your workspace ergonomically, improving your technique for daily tasks (lifting, bending, carrying, etc.), reducing the amount of time you spend doing damaging activities, take breaks, accelerating or decelerating your movements, wearing the right footwear for the job, or getting coaching on how to move better and strengthen movements that are crucial to your lifestyle.
The list for general advice is nearly endless but I hope the examples above are enough to paint an accurate picture.
I get my ideas for these blog postings from common conversational patterns in my practise. You can expect that if a question comes up frequently, there will ultimately be a blog article about it.
This month’s questions were, “Where do you think this came from?” and “Why do you think this happened?”
The questions might be rephrased as follows in order to answer this puzzle:
1. Could I have stopped it from happening?
2. What can I do to stop this from happening again?
Could I Have Stopped This From Happening?
Unfortunately, you can't always stop things from happening. Occasionally, you're just unlucky. The majority of the time, however, there are warning indications that, if recognised and addressed promptly, can avert a significant tragedy.
Typically, the warning signals are minor aches, stiffnesses, limitations, or grabs. Although there are undoubtedly many more, these are the most typical. It's a good idea to quit for the day, alter your activities, or take a break when they happen.
Contrary to what you might think, the most valuable service I provide as a chiropractor is not the treatment of your pain. The most significant service I can do is teaching you how to become an authority on "you."
You can avert issues when you become an expert at using your body and understanding its biofeedback. The warning signs will pass on their own if you pay attention to them and act appropriately.
In general, the right time to seek help is when it doesn’t resolve in 24-48 hours with rest, happens too frequently or occurs under decreasing loads.
What Can I Do To Stop This From Happening Again?
1. Begin a new fitness regimen
A great place to start is by getting an evaluation from a movement specialist and following a specially designed strength programme. The danger of exposing your weak areas to excessive stress is decreased by identifying muscular imbalances and weaknesses.
2. Improve current methods
To prevent issues and suffering, it is essential that we be mindful and intentional about our movements.
3. Redesign important work spaces
Poorly constructed workspaces often call for repetitive motions that, while acceptable when used sparingly, might be hazardous when performed frequently. The time spent performing ergonomic examinations is certainly worth it.
4. Steer clear of irritating stimuli
Sometimes the injuries we've sustained in the past leave us withpermanent changes in our movement capacity. For instance, if you have hip degeneration that limits your hip flexion, you should try to prevent or minimise how often you squat down deeply.
What can be done if it was just terrible luck? To improve your chances, consider the following general advice:
1. Get plenty of rest before starting.
2. Throughout the activity, take breaks.
3. Refrain from trying to do too much or overloading yourself.
4. Reduce the speed by 15% to 20%.
Discovering what components make up your situation is a part of the journey when you start therapy. A significant portion of this discovery is made on the initial visit, but the most precise and significant discoveries are made over time as we get to know you and your lifestyle in ways that cannot be easily revealed through paperwork and questionnaires. Making these findings does not follow a set formula.
By modifying your environment, you can be free of pain and restriction far more often and prevent many flare ups or large pain events. In many cases, with correct management of the environmental factors healing and stability can be achieved with problems that had plateaued in their improvement.
Ask if there are any activity adjustments or substitutions you can make the next time you're in your doctor's office to enhance your care.
You can get in touch with me through any of the means provided on this website's contact page if you'd like to email and ask my opinion directly. Link below.
-Russ
