Handling Musculoskeletal Issues 

With over 30 years of experience as a both a Naturopath and Remedial Massage Therapist I’ve found that most musculoskeletal problems are due to much deeper underlying issues. They are often much related to issues such as stress, poor digestion, dysfunctional movement and environmental conditions. Lets look into these issues a little deeper.

Meet Your Musculoskeletal System

It’s generally considered that our musculoskeletal system only comprises of our various bones, muscles and joints, along with the associated cartilage, tendons and ligaments. Also it’s generally considered that our musculoskeletal system only gives us our fundamental structure, to both protect and support our function. However, with just a little bit of research we may find that there’s much more. In this post, we’re exploring various deeper interactions with other body systems and aspects of our life. Some basic examples are that it also acts as a part of our endocrine system, immune, nervous, circulation and lymphatic systems, along with various biochemical signaling with other organs in the body. Let’s explore some more.

Stress, Pain & Fatigue

There’s often much more to musculoskeletal pain than initially meets the eye. Along with this is often a restriction of movement. So often because of stiffness. This post looks more at how there’s often correlations with the issues of stress, pain and fatigue. Also we need to gain a better appreciation of how our structure and function both affect each other.

As an example, we know that when we get stressed our muscles tend to get tense. This is often seen as a natural reflex reaction to help with preparing to fight or run and guarding against injury. However, with more chronic, ongoing, long term stress, muscles can become locked into a constant guarding state for prolonged periods of time. This may further cause a cascade of other various musculoskeletal compensatory mechanisms. Hence, other muscles, connective fascia, ligaments, tendons, bones and spinal alignment may also become more adversely affected.

Also, as our muscles become unbalanced, this may further trigger other reactions affecting our organ function, emotions and mental state. As a simple example, tension headaches are so often associated with chronic neck and shoulder muscle tension further affecting the fascia around the head. You most probably know of how many ways that this can affect you.

What’s the muscle-organ connection?

What determines whether an injury and associated pain is healed can often also depend on the various muscle-organ and emotional correlations. As our muscles become unbalanced, this may further trigger other reactions affecting our organ function, emotions and mental state. As an example, those who are fearful of their pain and who just seek mere pain relief as a cure are much more likely to have a worse recovery. As a ‘holistic’ approach we need to address the related muscle-organ and emotional correlations.

Also, often underling much chronic, stress-related muscle tension is other corresponding weak muscles. Muscle atrophy may be due to such factors such as a poor lifestyle, malnutrition, bodily misuse and a lack of knowledge. Hence, in such dynamics we tend to recruit various compensatory movements, with poor posture, etc. just to get by. After some time these can further cause a cascade of other imbalances. So typically these are only addressed with ‘band-aid’ treatments.

Accessing Traditional Wisdom

What if there’s a better way of looking at our body and wellbeing than the current orthodox western medicine? The wisdom of eastern medicine have known about these various muscle-organ correlations for thousands of years. As an example, in ancient Indian Ayurvedic and yoga practices there’s been much literature of these various relationships.

In Traditional Oriental Medicine (TOM), emotions and physical health are considered to be intimately connected. TOM has traditionally looked at our body more in terms of energy. They see the body in terms of energy pathways, known as meridians. These meridians follow certain lines along muscles and fascia which have also certain organ correlations. TOM literature tells us that these in turn also have specific emotional and mental correspondences. It’s known that this integrated mind-body approach to health follows a dynamic loop where our thoughts and emotions can also impact our physical body and vice versa.

As an example, according to TOM, excessive frustration and anger can adversely affect the liver and result in related muscle tension. According to the TOM correlation charts, we know that this may also affect us in many associated ways such as with reproductive dysfunction, headaches, sore eyes, dizziness and moodiness, etc. This TOM approach has been practiced for thousands of years. This ancient wisdom is now also adopted by many western health practitioners. One of the most common modalities is acupuncture, however there’s many other ways to apply this wisdom such as with acupressure.

Organ-Emotional Correspondences

Basically, TOM is based on the principle that our mind-emotional and physical well-being are intricately entwined. More-so, each mind-emotional and muscle connection is also associated with specific organs. TOM relate to these more in terms of balancing our vital life-fore or ‘Chi’. Each organ has a different type of ‘Chi’. There’s much emphases on balancing yin (passive) and yang (active) chi with the five natural elements of fire, water, earth, wood, and metal.

With TOM, it’s believed that also our mental and emotional imbalances can affect both our organs and hence associated muscles. Other TOM emotion and organ correlations may be such as fear and the kidneys, lack of joy with the heart, sadness and grief with the lung, worry with the stomach, obsession with the spleen, and so on.

East Meets West

Interestingly, now modern western quantum science is discovering what the ancient wisdom teachings have known for thousands of years. Quantum physicists now confirm what the the ancient teachings of oriental medicine say, that everything is energy. Everything that makes up a human being, mind-body-spirit also correlates at an energetic level to something in our external environment. Hence, we can use the vibrational frequency of nature and these principles of natural law to help heal and balance our mind-emotions and physical connections. .

This principle of interconnectedness also applies between various physical aspects of our bodies. As an example, the kidneys correlates with the tissue of bone and teeth. Also the the sensory taste of salt, the sensory organ of the ear, and the areas of the lower back, knees, and the heels/feet.

We know that specific meridians follow along specific fascial lines of muscles. These various meridians also flow through the organs to which they are related. Although these meridians are referred to individually, they ultimately actually interlink with each other. Hence, according to TOM any imbalances in the flow of ‘chi’ in one meridian will also affect others.

Esoteric Wisdom

What if there was an almost magical way where we could tap into tour body for wisdom? Maybe our body is a sort of barometer of our overall wellbeing. Our body has an amazing inner-intelligence. As such, we can tap into our body to access feedback. We can use these to help guide us in many aspects of modern living. Essentially, ‘Esoteric’ wisdom may be considered as that which is not so apparent to the logical and analytical mind. We may say, it’s what modern western science hasn’t discovered yet.

It seems that our muscles ‘tense-up’ for a reason. Maybe, they’re telling us to hold back. Our weak muscles indicate where our underlying deficiencies lie. Our emotions simply express the conflict between what we think is reals yet what our body is actually feeling. These various imbalances can provide for us a reflection of how we are out of sync with nature, and the very nature of our-self.

We may say that our body is a print out of our experiences. It holds a memory of our lessons. It tells the story of our struggles with tight muscles. As an example if you’ve ever eaten something and immediately felt sick, your body telling you that what you just ate is not good for you. Then next time you go to eat that same food or even think about it you immediately again feel sick. Your body remembers and it’s talking to you. Maybe you’ve had that gut feeling about something? Ever felt if something is not good for you, maybe your gut has tightened up. We need to lean how to honour our bodys’ intelligence.

Your Next Step

You can learn more about accessing inner wisdom in the upcoming 1 day seminar and workshop: ‘Self-Care Acupressure’. Learn how you can tap into your body to access invaluable feedback. You may use this inner wisdom to help guide you ‘step by step’ in the mine-field of modern living.

In the in the upcoming 1 day ‘Self-Care Acupressure’ seminar and workshop you can learn how to enhance your mind-body & emotional connection, apply the 4 essential pillars for good health, self-empowerment strategies for enhanced wellbeing and other tips, tricks, tools and techniques to boost your vitality. Plus a complimentary manual, e-book, online support & other bonuses.

Stay tuned for upcoming dates.