Dem Bones, Dem Muscles, Dem Body's

How is it, that the cause of pain is so often nowhere near the point of pain?

Example: One study found that a sprained ankle, left untreated over time, can cause TMJ pain and dysfunction in the side opposite the sprained ankle, how cool is that!?!

It's because our body is an integrated functional unit. From head to foot, left/right, inside and out, all parts influence each other all of the time. The image above is one basic example of our true physical nature. Our body is a web of interconnection between muscle, tissues, organs, and fascias. Those connections are how, over time, untreated foot, ankle and knee injuries can contribute to low back pain, hip pain, TMJ dysfunction to name a few.

Have you ever had an injury that caused you to limp for days, weeks or months? Limping, by its nature, creates an imbalance in weight distribution. That imbalance triggers unequal muscle tightening. Those muscle tensions cause strain on joints, ligaments, and tendons...et voila we end our day (or begin it!) with back pain. 

The kindergarten song really gets it right...Dem bones, Dem bones, and well, everything else for that matter, are indeed all connected! I'll spare you to the part about how internal organs contribute to musculoskeletal pain...you're welcome!