correcting myofacial pain injuries
Hey Victoria….
I think that that’s is plenty that you can potentially do and teach.I say potentially because it is really up to you to develop the skill set to do so.
If you are like the average trainer and you deal with the average client you are dealing with folks that suffer from all sorts of myofascial pains, whether it is the shoulder, hip, foot, etc. Much of what they will complain of will be a result of poor alignment either in their standing posture or in repetitious movements that they make. Either way, muscle imbalances are created and adhesions can form in the fascial system. With that being the being watered down version of what happens, what can we do about it?
We aren’t chiros, PTs, or any other sort of manual therapist, so we can’t really manipulate a person but that really is ok. When it comes down to it, most manipulations ate very temporary any way. What we do as trainers is change the length of muscle. I mean for a second that you asked your question, would you have any reservations or concerns about working with a client if they asked you
to help them get their bicep bigger? All that is, is just changing the length of a muscle, so we can certainly address imbalances.
With that being said, how we can address soft tissue pains is with structured self myofascial release techniques, stretching and integrated strength training exercises.
I say that there are potential ways that you can help, because your skill set needs to include your ability to assess any given individuals structure and design the most accurate corrective exercise plan. The exercises aren’t enough, you need to be able to illustrate the importance of keeping up with the plan as to fix muscle imbalances and alleviate pains.
hope this helps,
Jeremy
I completely agree with Joanne. If you are not specifically licensed to help people overcome injuries of that nature your best bet would probably be to refer them out to a professional you trust.
Several months ago a client of mine was experiencing what I thought to be myofacial-related pain in her right hip. I recommended she see a local ART Therapist for proper diagnosis which was definitely a good choice since I wanted to stay within my scope of practice. The therapist concluded that she had a minor case of myofascitis from working a few of the external rotators in her hip a bit too hard.
In short; the therapist was able to fill me in on his findings, provide me with some safe adjustments to her exercise program, and a few weeks later she was pain free.
Best of luck to you and your client!