Clenching

I read a post by Oliver Burkeman earlier this week, if you have not read any of his stuff, I would highly recommend it. The take home message was to try not to get in your own way in the moment. Desperately trying to hold on to something so as to never lose it, when in reality the harder you cling on to that moment, the faster it slips through your fingers. This is a frequent conversation with my patients, although in a slightly different context.

When I first begin a patient session, I take range of motion measurements. The intention behind this is covered in another post if you would like to read more, but what I often run into is the patient trying to help me take my measurements. They may move their arm or leg in the direction they think I am going when I really need them to remain as relaxed as possible to provide the most accurate measure. This is an attempt to control the action taking place. I completely understand, it is not the most natural thing to relax while someone else moves you. That being said, the attempt to control that movement reduces the effectiveness of the intervention.

This same behavior is apparent during exercise. I prescribe exercises often to solidify changes made and to maintain those changes in daily life. The subtlety with which I coach clients is intentional, I have a very specific outcome I am looking for. I want particular muscles and positions to be accessed, no more and no less. Patients often try to do more, as doing more has been equated with success. The exercise becomes a grind, a maximal clenching effort in order to reach the highest level of achievement.

Less is more. Finding the right exercise and feeling the right sensations takes time and concentrated effort. The effort is focused and intentional. Anything more is noise to the system and a reduction in the desired effects.

Austin Ulrich, Physical Therapist