This video shows a powerful sequence of 3 corrective exercises that we use at Function First that can positively effect lumbo-pelvic-hip function.
Here is the second installment of the “Understanding Pain” series
We hope you’re enjoying our Understanding Pain Series thus far.
Have you ever had a client in pain present no biomechanical “red flags”? What course of action did you take? How did you help them? Share you thoughts in the comment box at the bottom of the page.
Hey Guys,
We’ve just finished our long-awaited insiders manual – 5 Things Trainers Should Know About Chronic Pain. Kevin has put a TON of work into this and it looks great. You can’t purchase it, but for our subscribers – it’s FREE. (keep reading, how to get your copy is listed below)
The 5 Things Trainers Should Know About Chronic Pain accompanies our flagship online curriculum, focused entirely on mastering the “6 foundational pillars” making up Level 1 of Function First Mastery.
The Pain-Free Movement Specialist is the culmination of over 20 years utilizing the Function First Approach to help those living with pain. It’s a complete brain dump of everything we know about corrective exercise and working with the chronic pain population.
In addition, 5 Things Trainers Should Know About Chronic Pain covers many of the principles we use to utterly wipe out our clients barriers to success before we even begin the movement assessment process.
HOWEVER, we’re hoping you can help us with something…
Would you please take this short survey and provide us your insights and direction? I promise it will take you less than one minute.
We value your input and want you as part of this process.
Dedicated to raising bar,
Anthony Carey
P.S. – Once you complete the survey, you can download your FREE copy of 5 Things Trainers Should Know About Chronic Pain manual.
When we prescribe a corrective exercise to our client, there are multiple factors that go into the decision making process. For an exercise to be appropriate for a client at any given time, we have to consider the 4 characteristics of every exercise:
*biomechanical
*physiological
*neurological
*psychological
The Four Point Rotations is an exercise when looked at analytically, can successfully address these characteristics for many client types. This is an effective exercise to emphasize hip motion while unloading the spine and decreasing the threat for those with lower back pain.
Below is a graphic I use in presentations to illustrate the likely combination of many factors that effect the “release” during myofascial release. We can appreciate that of the factors listed, some are:
*Neurological
*Mechanical
*Physiological
*Pyschological
We also always have to consider if we are discussing acute or chronic effects to the system.
The bio-psycho-social model to chronic pain is evidently clear in the literature and we have made great strides in applying this model to our clients and our teaching.
What is also evidently clear, is that if you do not include the “bio” in the conversation, you will have a very difficult time helping the client relate a “known”-the biology/biomechanics of the body-to an unknow-the psycho/social aspects of the model.
The bio is simply the known because that is what the paradigm has been for the hundreds of years now. The pysco/social aspect is still very new for the general public (and unfortunately many medical professionals).
The following video clip is from a presentation I did titled: 25 Things Your Client Needs to Know About Lower Back Pain. The talk was presented to address the many misconceptions our clients and potential clients have regarding lower back pain. This clip addresses a few of those misconceptions.
The video below is taken from a live presentation that I did at the Fit Pro Convention at Loughborough University in England a little while back. The clip is from the presentation “25 Things Your Client Needs to Know about Lower Back Pain”.
In The Pain-Free Program I discuss people wanting to identify a “villain” to give them some sense of confirmation to their pain. Imaging studies such as an MRI is a route for many to try to find this villain. What most of our clients are surprised to hear is that the results of their MRI has very little to do with the exercise intervention.
More than 5 years ago I wrote a blog post on Exercise Sequencing vs . Exercise Progressions. Sequencing of exercises is a critical part of how we design our corrective exercise programs and instrumental in what we teach in the Pain Free Movement Specialist.
From the feedback that I’ve received in the 18 years or so that I’ve been teaching principles of the Function First Approach-programming is always the most challenging aspect. Too many fitness pros go down one of two “rabbit holes”:
1. Programs built around giving symptomatic relief which is clearly outside of our scope of practice. For example, the client whose knee is painful is given all “corrective” exercises focused on the knee. The inherent risk in this for fitness pros is that you have indirectly (and possibly unintentionally) made a medical decision because your intervention is based on pathology you have determined existed. Unless you are working in a post rehab capacity (different paradigm) with directives from a licensed professional you are treading on thin ice.
2. Programs that follow a linear progression=”if this than that” or “first this than that” do not address nor acknowledge the diversity of the human body or human experience. Examples might be mobility always before stability or activate than integrate.
If working with the human body was that easy, programming from either of those rabbit holes would work every time. I wish it were that easy. We understand that programming, especially for the chronic pain client is difficult. Biomechanics is a piece of the pie and strategic movement is critical to success. And as movement professionals, that is our tool of the trade. But there is so much to the choice of the tools and the delivery of those tools that make or break a successful program for the chronic pain client.
Movement is more than motion for the pain sufferer. It should be strategic, efficient, non-provocative & confidence building.
The follow up programming is no different. We change our client’s exercise program every two weeks. The major objectives do not change, but the variability of the input via the exercises is a critical piece of the process toward meeting those objectives. The role of variability in the corrective exercise domain cannot be underestimated. When exercises are of limited biomechanical, neurological and physiological demand for the purpose of influencing the quality of motion, variable learning opportunities are necessary. Waiting for completele mastery of any exercise may actually slow the process toward the long term goal.
The real goal is not to get better at exercise “x” or “y” or to strengthen this or lengthen that. No. The real goal is to assist the client to move better and be prepared for as much physical demand to the body that they may encounter.
There is a process to this and understanding the pain experience for the client is a necessity. Marrying the role of biomechanics with the neuroscience and psychology of pain are pillars of the Pain Free Movement Specialist curriculum. We can teach you this if you have the desire to help those that have not gotten help before. Would you like to take the journey with us and become a resource to people from around the world-not just your neighborhood?
This journey is not for everyone and we understand this. Because this is not just a curriculum that teaches you how to write an exercise program, it is a curriculum that moves you through stages of in-depth understanding of how to best serve this incredibly diverse yet underserved population. Everyone should be given the chance to realize a life void of pain and you can help facilitate that for them.
Contact us to see if you are right for this curriculum. Email education@functionfirst.com or kmurray@functionfirst.com or call 619.285.9218.
Cheers for the PFMS
My corrective exercise abilities as a trainer are profoundly different after learning the Function First approach to Corrective Exercise. The Pain Free Movement Specialist Certification Program takes you on in-depth journey into the field of Corrective Exercise and Pain Science utilizing sound biomechanics, principles and strategies to address your clients needs. The real-world tangible benefits from this program were evident immediately as I not only became confident but also proficient and successful at working with my clients suffering from various forms of pain.
What I particularly enjoyed about this program was the immediate benefit I experienced as a result of the curriculum. Not only was I able and had the confidence to work with and assess my clients, I was also armed with effective and proven exercise strategies and protocols. I have seen the benefit of these skills and my clients have too!
I highly recommend the Pain Free Movement Specialist Certification for anyone looking to set themselves apart from the rest, who has a desire to learn proven and successful strategies and who wants to master the intricate in’s and out’s of both Corrective Exercise and Pain Science!
Reyci Martorell
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