For those of you who do not know me and are not familiar with my work let me give you a brief understanding of what you can expect.
For starters I have a few principles that I know are true to every single human being I have worked with.
- Your body knows what it needs.
- You are capable of more than you are aware of right now.
- Only you are responsible for choosing who you want to be. (I.e. in-pain/pain-free, dependent/independent, weak/strong)
I believe the power of mindset and understanding of our bodies are crucial to developing new habits and kicking old ones. This is importantly true when it comes to addressing pain and injuries.
In the presence of pain, injury or dysfunction there are often many misinterpreted messages that occur between the body and the brain. Not only consciously but subconsciously which begins to dictate movement patterns that we think we have no control over. My role is to allow you to better understand this connection by using a system that will show you your deficits and create a plan to address them.
As someone who’s worked with people suffering from strokes to sprained ankles the one commonality that always shines through is - What’s important to you and how can I support it? I would be remised if I didn’t mention my nerdy side which loves to educate about the body systems that are impacting your symptoms and what is responsible for causing the way you move or cannot move.
But in the end, I know that you mostly care about what is important to helping you be able to do X, Y and Z. If a particular nerve pathway is responsible for sending messages to the brain about balance because a book, a group of doctors or a research paper claimed it - which does have its purpose however- is it useful for you?
My process always starts with discussion, or should I say listening, because through this process I get to hear what you are passionate about, what is keeping you up at 2am worrying about the same problem and what goals you have for yourself. Once we have identified the factors you are seeking to improve we will perform a Movement Assessment. This screen will identify everything from the way you move your head to how you squat. Think of it as a vehicles’ 21-point inspection. Are your movements coordinated, are you “tight”, are you very flexible or do you just have no idea how to attain that posture?
After identifying your contributing factors and limitations I like to use an approach that allows you to fix your Self. If you rely on me or any practitioner to “fix” you, you will ultimately be giving your innate power away and limiting your potential to learn. Do not take this out of context, there are conditions and times where I may have to use manual therapies (hands on techniques including soft tissue, myofascial release, joint mobilizations and manual cueing) to facilitate an environment where you can learn to move better. Following treatment of any kind, it is crucial that we give your body a plan to keep what is useful and move towards your goal.
This is where the programming of your exercises and the discussion about your commitment comes in. There is a big difference from what we can achieve in 1-2 sessions compared to 10-12. Each person is different and each story is dependent on a number of factors but the most valuable one will always be - What’s important to you and how can I give guidance to support that?
I will always advocate for you to find ways that help your learning, improve your movement confidence and stay active. I look forward to the day I can support you to reach your goals.
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