What exactly is "form"?

Is form important if you aren't a runner?

And most importantly - does form matter for a person in pain?

 

 

For several years now this very question has been the subject of a heated debate in the fast-growing and evolving pain science community.

 

Some experts say,

 

Motion is lotion.

It doesn't matter how you move, just make sure you moooooove.

 

Other pain researches firmly believe that moving in good form is just as important - if not more important - than movement itself.

 

 

I've studied human movement and pain rather closely for the last 2 decades, and not just theory from books and courses. I have a first hand experience of living with pain and rehabbing from chronic pain, and also working with dozens of clients - folk from all walks of life and with all sorts of pain.

 

As I learned to feel and discern the functional movement patterns - the good form - from the dysfunctional ones, the picture gotten to be more and more clear: most of us, folk in pain, have very similar movement faults:

 

~ we use our backs instead of our legs;
 

~ we swivel the pelvis around the spine instead of moving at the hips;
 

~ we use our necks to lift our arms, and more often than not twist our entire body even just to open a door!

 

~ we walk flat - footed, slapping our feet against the floor instead of using the natural, spring-like movement of our feet and calves;
 

~ we clench, tighten and grip - our breath, our jaws, our eyes, our necks, our buttocks - to find stability, our bodies seem to have forgotten how to use the powerful muscles of the core.

 

The list goes on - but you get the picture.

By now you've probably guessed that I stand with the "form matters" camp.

 

As much as I want to, it is hard for me to have an unbiased opinion on the matter, mostly because I have a five decade history of living with pain, and I know exactly what worked for me and dozens of others - and what didn't.

 

I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that good form and functional movement are super important, especially for those of us dealing with pain.

 

I believe that our bodies have intelligent design, and when we follow the blueprint of this design and work with our bodies instead of struggling to control them, we become better breathers, better movers, and more graceful agers.

 

I absolutely believe that motion is lotion.

It's just that some lotions are way more effective than others!

 

 

Curious?

Give "Core Restore" rehab model a try - it'll only take 2 hours of your time!

 

 

 

Date: Saturday, March 9

 

Time: 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Cost: 46$ + GST

 

Location: Barre Pilates Studio

10 spots available