Spring brings with it frost heaves, and we all know what that does for the front end of our cars. When the alignment gets knocked out of whack the car tends to pull off to one side and wear out the tires. But what about the human body, do we get out of alignment? Since we all have to cope with the constant pull of gravity and activities of daily living that put imbalanced demands on our musculoskeletal system the answer is yes. But unlike a car, our bodies have a built in compensation system that tries it’s best to make corrections. This is fine for a short duration but problems can occur in the long run because the muscles doing the compensating are not designed for this. Our muscles never work in isolation, they work in groups with precise orchestration to maintain just the right balance of the joints in all three planes of motion. When an imbalance sets in, the joints, posture, and movement become compromised. Over time this can reveal itself as chronic low back pain or neck and shoulder pain to mention a few. For many, these imbalances largely go unnoticed due to the subtle and gradual nature of its progression. For others however these muscle and soft tissue imbalances have a far greater importance. An example would be the cyclist or runner. The high repetition of these activities places an even greater strain on the joints when the gait is altered from muscle imbalance posing an increased possibility of injury. For the golfer or tennis player it means their performance can be diminished as well as increasing the risk of injury that could take them out of the game. Often many well-intentioned people can exacerbate their muscle imbalance with exercise. Most people make the mistake of never understanding scientifically which muscles they need to stretch and which ones they need to strengthen. Often they will stretch everything (or nothing) and perform the entire strength circuit without understanding which muscles they are training and why. Other times the strength training would be isolated to the areas that look the best like the 6-pack abs or large biceps unknowingly throwing the entire structure out of balance. So, at best these people may be wasting their time with unnecessary stretches and redundant exercises. At worst, they could be exacerbating muscle imbalances that can lead to joint dysfunction, pain and chronic injury.

Considering all this, what would be a reasonable approach for the average person or more athletic person? Generally speaking, the more you know about your body and how it works and responds to exercise the better. But short of diving into anatomy and kinesiology studies, a basic rule would be to stretch the tight muscles and strengthen the weakened ones (in that order) beginning with an overall warm-up. For those not so athletically inclined, you don’t need a gym to do this. There are many good home exercise programs out there that give a wide range of possibilities to keep it interesting and fun. Even the TV is loaded with daily exercise programs that mix things up with large variety. Just remember to emphasize the exercise that is specific to your needs, you don’t have to do all of everything. One basic rule, don’t do anything that causes you pain.

For anyone that has chronic pain issues such as low back pain or tennis elbow, you may be better off getting profession help to guide you on the right track initially. Also keep in mind there is no quick fix. Muscle imbalances usually occur over time (with the exception of those developing from surgery or recent injuries) and will require patience, persistence, and time, to correct. But every day of effort is a day in the right direction.