Many suffer from recurring pain and injuries and struggle to manage them. Today we will focus on compensation and decompensation.
Common causes include;
- Decompensation
- Bad habits, movement faults, breathing dysfunction and poor posture
- Permanent, physical damage or ongoing health conditions
- Stress, hypermobility, chronic inflammation and deconditioning
- Repetitive stress and occupational factors
The nervous system compensates for pain, poor control, overload and dysfunction by shifting the load elsewhere in the body to balance tension. Over time, this compensation creates a secondary problem. This can compound numerous times with strains from daily life adding to the mix. This may continue in a downward spiral, becoming an established “pattern” of dysfunction, like a house of cards – increasingly precarious. People in this situation often complain of feeling fragile, vulnerable or weak and have reduced capacity to absorb additional stressors like minor slips, stumbles, etc.
Most will stay well compensated for a long period of time, owing to good health, strength, mobility and low stress levels. Sometimes, an increase in stress or a decrease in health and physical fitness will reduce an individuals’ ability to compensate, allowing the issue to manifest as an injury flare-up.
When delivering hands-on treatment as an Osteopath, I systematically work through your pattern of dysfunction. As this happens, we can literally see the layers coming to the surface. For example, after releasing the lower back on one side, the hip may become tight on the other side – this indicates the lower back was compensating for the hip. It’s not uncommon to follow a chain like this through many cycles in one single treatment. There is no recipe or roadmap for this, as every pattern plays out differently. I rely on paying attention and reassessing as I go.
Everybody has physical dysfunction but thankfully, you don’t have to be perfectly aligned to feel good. However, it can be difficult to know when you have accumulated threshold levels of dysfunction and are on the cusp of an injury “out of nowhere”.
Many find benefit from regular but infrequent “maintenance treatments” – where we work through dysfunction before it becomes an apparent problem. These treatments are effective in getting ahead of an established problem. If you only receive treatment during a flare-up and stop as soon as the pain settles, it may not be enough to resolve the root cause. A pro-active approach to treatment allows us to make better headway when things are feeling settled. The aim is to improve the standard of what feeling good means to you.
The other side of the coin is improving your ability to cope and thrive. By giving you the tools and knowledge to build your strength, mobility and resilience in a safe and sustainable manner with proper movement patterns, breathing and posture – you increase your capacity to absorb life’s bumps, stresses, and unmodifiable factors.
The combined effect is a fitter, healthier and more resilient body – built on an aligned and properly functioning structure.
