Is This Why You Have Joint Pain?
Joint pain, whether it's in the shoulder, the knee, or wherever, can put the brakes on any attempt to exercise or even do just every day activities.
Sometimes the pain is so severe that you may think that something is really wrong.
It's sometimes mistakenly labeled as "arthritis", or something even worse.
But, for the most part, for the majority of people, it's nothing more than your body letting you know that some things have got to be changed.
In my experience working with athletes, runners, and everyday working people the primary cause of joint pain in those under 70 years old is what the medical people call Articular Imbalance.
This is a technical term that simply means that some of the muscles around the joint are too tight and/or too weak.
When this happens the bones of the joint are pulled out of their normal place.
This causes the joint to not function the way that it should.
For an everyday example of what I am describing, think of a door that is slightly off kilter.
It may swing open or closed, but, it may rub or scrape against the door jamb.
Another example could be a drawer that "not on track".
It may open or close, but you have a hard time doing it.
Your joints are very similar to these examples.
When the bones aren't "seated" correctly in the joint, your body lets you know that something is "off kilter" by the pain that you have.
One thing that seems to really surprise people is that these problems don't show up on the x-rays that they get.
I have to explain to them that x-rays only see if bones are broken or dislocated (which is another thing altogether).
X-rays will not show tight and/or weak muscles.
It's my theory that the primary cause of this type of joint pain is over use of certain muscles and under use of the opposing muscles.
For another example, consider a weight lifter that really focuses on his chest muscles to the neglect of his upper back muscles.
Over using the pecs will make the pecs relatively tighter and stronger than the opposing upper back muscles.
This puts a strain on the shoulders and pulls them forward and gives these weight lifters a "round shoulder" appearance.
This posture will set someone up for shoulder pain which won't be seen on any x-ray and, if not addressed, will eventually put a damper on this guy's upper body fitness program because his shoulder pain will not let him do any over head work or even bicep curls.
But this isn't limited to those who may be in the gym.
The same thing can happen if you sit at a desk all day or sit behind a steering wheel for long periods of time.
You will still get the same "rounded" look and develop shoulder pain on the front of the shoulder.
While you may not be lifting weights, you will still find it hard to raise your arm overhead for anything, or carry something heavy, like a gallon of milk.
Both of these scenarios illustrate the importance of having good articular balance, or, in everyday terms, balanced muscular strength and flexibility around a joint.
In summary, in my opinion, most cases of joint pain in those under 70 years old are not caused by "arthritis" or "getting older".
They are caused by doing too much of the same thing over and over again which leads to an imbalanced joint that isn't properly aligned.
When a joint isn't "seated" in the right place, it will lead to pain.
And, although this pain is very real, the real cause will not show up on any x-ray or MRI report.
The way around or out of this type of pain is to work all the muscle groups around a joint to maintain it's proper balance.
Sometimes the pain is so severe that you may think that something is really wrong.
It's sometimes mistakenly labeled as "arthritis", or something even worse.
But, for the most part, for the majority of people, it's nothing more than your body letting you know that some things have got to be changed.
In my experience working with athletes, runners, and everyday working people the primary cause of joint pain in those under 70 years old is what the medical people call Articular Imbalance.
This is a technical term that simply means that some of the muscles around the joint are too tight and/or too weak.
When this happens the bones of the joint are pulled out of their normal place.
This causes the joint to not function the way that it should.
For an everyday example of what I am describing, think of a door that is slightly off kilter.
It may swing open or closed, but, it may rub or scrape against the door jamb.
Another example could be a drawer that "not on track".
It may open or close, but you have a hard time doing it.
Your joints are very similar to these examples.
When the bones aren't "seated" correctly in the joint, your body lets you know that something is "off kilter" by the pain that you have.
One thing that seems to really surprise people is that these problems don't show up on the x-rays that they get.
I have to explain to them that x-rays only see if bones are broken or dislocated (which is another thing altogether).
X-rays will not show tight and/or weak muscles.
It's my theory that the primary cause of this type of joint pain is over use of certain muscles and under use of the opposing muscles.
For another example, consider a weight lifter that really focuses on his chest muscles to the neglect of his upper back muscles.
Over using the pecs will make the pecs relatively tighter and stronger than the opposing upper back muscles.
This puts a strain on the shoulders and pulls them forward and gives these weight lifters a "round shoulder" appearance.
This posture will set someone up for shoulder pain which won't be seen on any x-ray and, if not addressed, will eventually put a damper on this guy's upper body fitness program because his shoulder pain will not let him do any over head work or even bicep curls.
But this isn't limited to those who may be in the gym.
The same thing can happen if you sit at a desk all day or sit behind a steering wheel for long periods of time.
You will still get the same "rounded" look and develop shoulder pain on the front of the shoulder.
While you may not be lifting weights, you will still find it hard to raise your arm overhead for anything, or carry something heavy, like a gallon of milk.
Both of these scenarios illustrate the importance of having good articular balance, or, in everyday terms, balanced muscular strength and flexibility around a joint.
In summary, in my opinion, most cases of joint pain in those under 70 years old are not caused by "arthritis" or "getting older".
They are caused by doing too much of the same thing over and over again which leads to an imbalanced joint that isn't properly aligned.
When a joint isn't "seated" in the right place, it will lead to pain.
And, although this pain is very real, the real cause will not show up on any x-ray or MRI report.
The way around or out of this type of pain is to work all the muscle groups around a joint to maintain it's proper balance.