When where you feel the pain isn't where it needs to be released

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The Body's Tug-of-War: Why Your Pain Is Rarely Where the Problem Started

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The Core Principle: Your body is a connected system of balances, not a collection of isolated parts. When one muscle group becomes chronically tight or weak, it forces an opposing group into a state of constant, strained effort. The pain you feel is often in this overworked "holder," but the true origin is the initial imbalance. Treating just the painful spot is like silencing a fire alarm while the fire still burns.

 

Case Study 1: The Shoulder Blade Battle (The "Knot" That Won't Go Away)

What You Feel & Complain Of:

• A hard, bony "knot" or deep ache along the inner edge of your shoulder blade.

• Constant tightness between your shoulder blades.

• A feeling that no matter how much you stretch or massage that spot, the tightness returns.

The Real Tug-of-War:

• The Hidden "Puller": Tight, adhered teres major, teres minor, and latissimus dorsi muscles (on the side/back of your shoulder). Often from an old injury or strain, these muscles are stuck in a shortened state, pulling your shoulder blade outward.

• The Overworked "Holder": Your rhomboids. They are stuck in a exhausting tug-of-war, straining 24/7 to pull your shoulder blade back into position. The "knot" you feel is often scar tissue that has formed at their attachment point from this chronic strain.

• The Flawed Fix: Massaging the painful knot on your inner shoulder blade only addresses the symptom (the strained rhomboids). It provides temporary relief but ignores the cause (the tight outer muscles).

The Lasting Solution: Release the adhered teres/lat complex, remodel the scar tissue at the rhomboid attachment, and retrain proper shoulder blade movement. You must calm the "puller" to relieve the "holder."

 

Case Study 2: The Pelvic Imbalance (The "Tight" Hamstrings & Sore Back)

 

What You Feel & Complain Of:

• "My hamstrings are always tight," no matter how much you stretch them.

• Aches in your lower back, especially after standing or at the end of the day.

• A deep ache or stiffness in the front of your hips.

The Real Tug-of-War:

• The Hidden "Puller": Chronically short and tight hip flexors (psoas, iliacus) from prolonged sitting. They pull your pelvis into an anterior tilt (tipping it forward).

• The Overworked "Holders": Your hamstrings and gluteus maximus. To counter the forward-tilted pelvis, your hamstrings become taut—they are over-lengthened and straining to pull back. Your glutes become weak and inhibited. Your lower back muscles then overwork to keep you upright, leading to pain.

• The Flawed Fix: Aggressively stretching already over-lengthened, strained hamstrings can make the problem worse. It does nothing to release the tight hip flexors pulling the pelvis forward.

The Lasting Solution: Release the tight hip flexors, activate the weak glutes, and gently strengthen the hamstrings in their proper length. The goal is to restore a neutral pelvis, ending the tug-of-war.

 

Case Study 3: The Core Collapse (The Mysterious "Weak Back")

 

What You Feel & Complain Of (Especially Postpartum):

• A deep, persistent ache in your lower back.

• A feeling of instability or "pooching" in your abdomen.

• The sense that your back "gives out" or tires easily.

The Real Tug-of-War:

• The Hidden "Puller": A weakened or separated abdominal wall (diastasis recti), often from pregnancy, surgery, or chronic strain. This creates a lack of anterior support.

• The Overworked "Holder": Your lower back muscles (erector spinae) and even your hip flexors. With a weak core unable to stabilize your spine from the front, your back muscles must clench constantly to provide all the support. This leads to deep, fatiguing back pain. The hip flexors can also become tight as they try to help stabilize the pelvis.

• The Flawed Fix: Doing crunches or aggressive core work can worsen diastasis and further strain the system. Just treating the painful back muscles misses the core instability at the heart of the problem.

The Lasting Solution: Gently retrain the deep core muscles (transversus abdominis) to close the diastasis and provide internal support, thereby taking the immense strain off the overworked back muscles. Stability must come from the inside out.

 

The Common Thread: Finding the Origin

These patterns show that pain is a signal of system failure, not just local damage. Lasting relief requires a detective's approach:

1. Identify the "Puller": What tight, adhered, or weak structure started the chain reaction?

2. Support the "Holder": Address the pain and strain in the overworked muscles.

3. Retrain the System: Restore balanced movement so the tug-of-war ends for good.

If you've been treating a painful "knot" or "tightness" that never fully resolves, you may be caught in one of these hidden battles. The solution lies in finding your specific tug-of-war and ending it.

 

Sources & Further Reading

1. Sahrmann, S. A. (2002). Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes. Mosby.

2. Page, P., Frank, C. C., & Lardner, R. (2010). Assessment and Treatment of Muscle Imbalance: The Janda Approach. Human Kinetics.

3. Lee, D. G., & Lee, L. J. (2007). The Pelvic Girdle: An integration of clinical expertise and research (4th ed.). Churchill Livingstone.

4. Neumann, D. A. (2017). Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System: Foundations for Rehabilitation (3rd ed.). Mosby.

 

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.