Some chiropractic adjustments can ease pain in the short-term. But for long-term relief of chronic pain, without becoming dependent on expensive treatments, focus on addressing muscle imbalance and dysfunction.

Table of Contents

• My Personal Experience with Chiropractic Treatment
• Finding the Right Chiropractor for You
• Why You Should Focus on Functional Training for Muscles, Instead of Chiropractic Treatment
• 3 Reasons to Question Seeing a Chiropractor Forever

_{More matters than just your spine. Photo by Joyce McCown on Unsplash}

Maybe you've been seeing a chiropractor for the last few years to help treat chronic pain. Or maybe you just started up with one and he or she is telling you that you need to get adjusted once or...

Use functional training to heal and repair these key causes of chronic pain and movement impairment.

Table of Contents

• A Quick Primer on How to Identify Muscle Imbalances
  • The 2 Types of Muscle Imbalance
• How Do You Fix Joint Muscle Imbalances?
• How Do You Fix Symmetry Muscle Imbalances?
• A Quick Primer on How to Identify Muscle Dysfunction
• How Do You Fix Dysfunctional Muscles?
• Sensations to Pay Special Attention to When Fixing Muscle Imbalance and Dysfunction
• 1) Sharp Sensations in the Muscle You’re Activating, or Uncontrollable Jitters
  • 2 Strategies for Activating Weak Muscles
• 2) You Feel the Wrong Muscles Activate
• 3) Pinching or Jamming at the Joints
  • 3 Strategies for Fixing Joint Jamming
  • Apply Observation and...

Use functional training to root out and repair these key causes of chronic pain and movement impairment.

Table of Contents

• Types of Muscle Imbalances
  
  • Joint-Muscle Imbalance
  • Symmetry Muscle Imbalance
• Why do Muscle Imbalances Matter?
• Why the Impacts of Muscle Imbalance are Difficult to Study
• A Note for Skeptics
• How to Identify Muscle Imbalances
• Muscle Dysfunction vs. Muscle Imbalance
• Where do Muscle Imbalances and Dysfunctional Muscles Come From?
• How to Identify Muscle Dysfunction
• Apply Functional Tests to Your own Dysfunctional Muscles
• What is Normal Muscle Function?
• Aim for “Uncommon” Muscle Function
• The Role of Bones in Muscle Dysfunction and Imbalance
• What’s the Point of Finding Dysfunctional Muscles and...

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...

Back pain is one of the most common complaints in the modern world. It’s irritating. It’s debilitating. I know from personal experience. But with hindsight, I am grateful I never got an MRI for back pain.

In this article, I’ll explain why an MRI for back pain may not be worth your time, money, or energy.

It’s not just doctors who see lots of back pain

We’re in a unique position as personal trainers because a lot of our clients get an MRI for back pain (as well as x-rays) before coming to see us for their training (and after rest and perfunctory physical therapy doesn’t do much to help).

We have seen a ton of clients with back pain get better with smart training and gradual relearning of better...

If you’ve ever had aches and pains in your neck and shoulders, you have probably been told that you need to get a massage. When that doesn’t seem to provide long-term relief for you or you get tired of constantly getting a massage, you may be referred to some kind of specialist in myofascial release to get really “deep” massage work. But is this always the answer? Is more pressure or more bodywork always the answer to chronic pain?

[This article was written when I was still doing massage and bodywork as a Rolfer. I no longer do that kind of work and focus on showing people how proper exercise can solve their aches and pains without needing constant massage sessions. You can read more about how to fix tense...