Use it or Loose it

Today's topic was really one that I've been putting off writing about for sometime. I've had to make some ethical decisions about my scope of practice when it comes to providing blog an article in trees and topics that border those of other professions related to my own. But due to leave me any questions I can about this topic I felt it was reasonable to at least discuss it in someway openly and refer people out to more qualified professionals to help cover the details. What am I talking about? I want to discuss the idea of human adaptation to varying degrees in types of activity and it's effect on general body dynamics and tissues. I've always encourage people to think of massage therapy as a very broad specialization in the soft tissues of the body. A physical therapist is a very specialized massage therapist and that they will help strengthen and loosen tissues of the body with incredible Percision in order to maximize your ability to heal from particular types of injuries. A personal trainer is someone who specializes in the ergonomics of exercise that can help someone meet their athletic goals through proper form and muscle management. So for most people I tell him I'm more like a medical doctor without a specialization I can provide brought information and point people towards specialist that would best fit their needs but that does not qualify me to make judgment calls about anything beyond referring out to people I believe can help someone with their particular needs.

As part of my regular practice I talk with people quite often about the side effects of drastically changing workout work or social activity habits. And when I mean by side effects are those situations where people come in and say that they've change jobs or they're doing something different recreationally and they're wondering why their body is going through through so many adaptive changes. I try and provide people with a general guideline and that is the idea of use it or lose it. Our bodies are amazing and their ability to adapt and change with our requirements we see that so much and yet so few of us recognize how amazing this series of changes just occurs and we do not even think about it. Our bodies will constantly reshape itself change muscle size muscle density it will change it sleeping habits its nutritional needs its physical shape in order to accommodate injuries changes in our activity levels and even with such things like emotional stress and this pattern of change I affectionately call the use it or lose it. If her body is no longer seeing need to have big upper arms and we don't demand heavy use of them are bodies will break down the muscle tissue rather quickly stored as energy reserves to be burned off later and if we choose to use her legs more our body will build that muscle quickly in order to accommodate our requirements.

Sometimes the transition or unnoticed change can be painful physically and so most often leads people to call me. Other times and injury or nurture to become more physically fit or active control people towards a personal trainer or physical therapist. For whatever the reason and whoever you choose to go to that is qualified to assist you its important to realize the change within the body is necessary and normal.