Is there a relationship between weakness in certain areas and injuries in those same areas?  Those are the spots that aren’t quite working up to snuff so it’s no wonder that they are at a higher likelihood of injury.  We’ll talk a little about an article saying just that as well as what you can do to prevent and get out of pain in regard to those typically weak areas.  Here’s a hint…the answer is to strengthen them!

A study from the Journal of Applied Biomechanics looked at strength and endurance of muscles that help to stabilize the neck in participants with and without neck pain.  The gist of the article is that those experiencing neck pain had significantly decreased strength and endurance in those muscles. Now you might be asking was the weakness there before or after the neck pain.  Pain is rather fickle, it tends to be the last thing to show up and the first thing to go (kind of like that guy at the party who is just there for the food). While weakness is something that happens over time.  Therefore, its incredibly likely that the weakness was there well before the pain arrived.

Okay great, so we know that weakness is related to pain but what can we do about it?  If something is weak you strengthen it right, so that’s exactly what you should do. You might be saying to yourself well I don’t have any pain; that doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods.  As we said earlier weakness is something that happens over time and can have no pain associated with it for years. Or you could be someone who has been in pain for weeks, months or years and can’t imagine trying to work out the area that’s painful.  Both of these situations can be greatly influenced through exercise!

This brings us to maybe the most important point…strengthen weak areas properly.  I know, I know what does that even mean? The best way to insure this is to see a movement specialist who will actually assess your strength and functional movement patterns.  Typically, these professionals are going to be trainers, physical therapists, and chiropractors. Invest in your health and do it the right way to prevent and fix weakness that can lead to pain.  The site of pain may not necessarily be the area that needs to be strengthened, only a trained professional can tell you this. Another tip is have patience; building strength takes time and practice, be diligent because it’s so worth the reward!

To wrap this up weakness is most definitely associated with pain as we saw in the research article.  Both weakness and pain can be greatly affected with specifically prescribed exercises that address your specific issues.  See a movement specialist like a trainer, physical therapist, or a chiropractor that is going to assess your movement and strength to determine what areas need work.  Be patient and diligent with the homework they give you, building strength takes time so plan for it early and often!

All of us docs at Elite Sport and Spine assess for and treat weakness with or without pain.  Give us a call (262) 373-9168 or schedule online, so we can help you prevent and/or get out of pain!

Link to the article referenced: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=30860406.

This blog was written by Dr. Moira Martin.