ATM = Always Think Muscles. When you’re trying to get to the root of your joint pain, don’t forget to assess muscle function around the joint. Chances are, this is where your challenge lies, and that functional training can help you overcome it. 

Table of Contents

• Understanding Joint Pain
• Why the Orthopedic Theory of Joint Pain is Wrong
• Your Labrum, Meniscus, and Intervertebral Discs are Just Not That Important
• Why Most Joint Pain is Really Muscle Pain
• Joint Pain and Post-Workout Muscle Soreness 
• Joint Pain and Pushing Muscles Beyond Their Limits
• Joint Pain and Consistent Muscle Pain
• 3 Ways to Think About and Resolve Joint Pain

Here’s a controversial statement: joint pain is really...

Squats. Split squats.

If you've ever taken a group fitness class, you've done them. If you've ever had a trainer, you've done them. If you've had a forward-thinking chiropractor or massage therapist, you've done them.

You've also heard the admonition: DON'T LET YOUR KNEES GO PAST YOUR TOES.

It's usually delivered with a serious warning. "It's dangerous," they say.

"If you let your knees go too far forward, it's bad for your knees."

"Your knees aren't designed for that kind of motion."

"I don't want you to hurt your knees."

"Your knees may explode."

Scary stuff.

Nothing about these warnings is nefarious. There's no deceit intended.

But there's a lot of half-truth and mythology baked into these warnings.

Heck, even I...

^{Are PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections worth it for joint pain? Photo by RF._.studio}

Osteoarthritis, labral tears, and cartilage and tendon pain can all prompt doctors to prescribe platelet-rich plasma injections. Here’s why you should consider functional movement training first.

Table of Contents

• What are PRP Injections?
• Why are PRP Injections Controversial?
• PRP Injections for Soft Tissue Issues
• PRP injections for Osteoarthritis
• The Flawed Science Behind PRP Injections
• Functional Movement Training for Joint Pain

What are PRP Injections?

I work with a lot of clients who have had chronic hip, knee, back, and shoulder pain. They have usually spent all kinds of money and time trying to fix their aches and...

When it comes to lower back, hip, and knee pain, we can get caught in a cycle of beliefs that can make our pain worse. Here's how functional training may be the way to break the cycle. 

Table of Contents

• Theories About Chronic Pain and How to Treat It
• Why Rest Isn’t Always the Best Solution
• Your Perception of Pain Can Make It Worse
• Working Toward a Pain-Free, Empowered Solution to Functional Movement
• Why Functional Training Works to Treat Pain
• My Journey with Pain and Functional Training

When you’re suffering from chronic pain, you may search for the meaning behind your suffering, asking yourself What's wrong with me? Or What did I do to deserve this?

However, the meanings we ascribe to our chronic pain...

If you've never heard of the medical diagnosis "miserable malalignment" it's because it hasn't been discussed much until recently. The first time I heard about it was from a client. She was a physical therapist who had been diagnosed with the condition.

The right leg (left in the picture) has relatively internally rotated femur and externally rotated tibia.

Why is it en vogue now? Because a growing number of surgeons are starting to talk about the surgery as a surefire cure for knee, leg, and hip pain. 

But as we've seen with spine, hip, knee, and shoulder surgeries, the medical industry has a long history of overselling the benefits of new orthopedic surgeries.

So in this article, we're going to take a closer non-medical look...