Inspiration for Pain Free Movement
I've Seen A Lot Dance Moves, But Nothing Like This. I Can't Stop Watching This! Dancers always inspire around how I can move my body.
Graded Exposure Helps Pain'If you perform some movement without pain that normally hurts, your brain is likely to get very interested. It is 'good news' that reduces threat. A major goal of any program for movement health should be to send as much 'good news' to the nervous system as possible about the state of the body and its ability to withstand the stress of movement’
Todd Hargrove (2014) Better Movement. p143 (A stunning book and blog)
Let's say you have 10 muscles holding your shoulder in a given position. Let's also say, being really simple, each muscle can be on, off or halfway. That's three options per a muscle. That is already 1000 (10x10x10) options on how to hold your shoulder still. Even this number is orders of magnitudes below the actual degrees of freedom you have available to move your shoulder.Maybe an injury has limited the range of movement or strength in one position - there is a tear in some tissues or some wear or tear (arthritis) in the joints. It turns out these are normal signs on medical imaging, they are commonly seen in pain free individuals. Consider how many other possibilities exist to perform any given motor act. At least 1000 if my maths is any good.Feed your brain novel and non threatening ways to move. Try lots of small, gentle, movements and build up to more complex and long sessions. Visualise the movements to enhance the maps of your body in your brain (neurotags). Be persistent, it is about learning new, non pain habits; it may take the amount of work you would have to do to write with your opposite hand.Your body and brain will accommodate to the limitation and you will be able to live and move without pain. And, yes, you are a little bit older and little more experienced than you were before. You may not have a tennis serve that is going to win Wimbledon, that can be sad and a loss, but it does not mean pain. You will still be able to do amazing things with your body.