Recognize that you are ultimately the one who fixes yourself; view therapists as guides who empower you to understand and facilitate your body’s natural healing processes, rather than expecting them to ‘fix’ you.
Create a personal timeline of your life, noting significant events, injuries, and the precise onset of symptoms to identify the earliest and most impactful ‘insults’ to your body, which can reveal root causes of current discomforts.
Understand that pain is your body’s warning signal indicating a need for change, not just a localized problem to be treated directly; this perspective encourages seeking the underlying cause of the signal rather than just symptom relief.
If a treatment or approach for pain or a physical issue doesn’t provide lasting relief, stop repeating ineffective methods and instead seek alternative explanations and treatments to avoid driving yourself mad.
When experiencing chronic pain, consider that the root cause might not be in the painful area itself, but in other, seemingly unrelated parts of the body due to interconnected mechanics; treating the painful area alone may only offer temporary relief.
Do not assume that body structures, such as a flat foot or other anatomical positions, are unchangeable; targeted movements and exercises can help restore natural function and form over time.
Actively work to ensure your body can perform opposite movements equally (e.g., side bending left and right, or pronation/supination), as an inability to do so can lead to strain, discomfort, and problems.
Incorporate short, specific corrective exercises (e.g., 3-4 minutes, like the ‘sleepy glutes’ exercises) into your daily routine, even during mundane tasks, to maintain body balance, prevent pain, and set yourself up for the day.
Develop a deeper understanding of your body’s ’early warning signs’ (e.g., tightness in neck or back) to proactively adjust your activities, perform corrective movements, and make different choices to prevent minor discomforts from escalating.
Focus on ‘clearing out the joint restrictions’ in your body to promote the free flow of blood, oxygen, nerves, and lymph, thereby creating an optimal internal environment for healing and overall well-being.
When analyzing your health history, pay close attention to any injuries or traumas that occurred before the onset of your chronic pain, as these seemingly unrelated past events can be the root cause of current biomechanical imbalances.
If experiencing pain in areas like the knee, back, or shoulders, investigate subtle changes in foot alignment and mechanics, as proper foot function can enhance performance and eliminate pain in distant body parts.
Be aware that the jaw’s movement and alignment can be connected to whole-body posture and chronic pain, as demonstrated by cases where addressing a previously broken jaw resolved long-standing back pain.
If you have knee pain, look beyond the knee itself to potential issues in the hip or foot, as the knee often takes strain from imbalances or limitations in these adjacent joints, acting as a ‘rock and a hard place’.
Do not label natural body movements (like foot pronation or supination) as inherently ‘good’ or ‘bad’; instead, understand that imbalance, or spending too much time in one position without experiencing its opposite, is often the true issue.
Adopt a holistic perspective of your body, recognizing that it is ‘one system’ where every part is interconnected; addressing one area will inevitably affect the whole, and problems in one area often have roots elsewhere.
When seeking professional help, look for therapists who act as ‘guides’ and empower you to understand your body’s root causes and self-healing mechanisms, rather than those who solely focus on temporary fixes.
Trust that your brain inherently knows the most efficient way to move; by consciously putting your body into correct positions through specific exercises, you can re-educate your brain to adopt more efficient and pain-free movement patterns.
Access Gary Ward’s ‘Wake Your Body Up’ series on findingcenter.co.uk for a guided self-assessment of your history, posture, and joint motion, and to learn movements that can initiate an ‘unwinding process’ for physical discomforts.
For a deeper understanding of human movement, its interconnectedness, and its relation to pain, read Gary Ward’s book ‘What the Foot,’ especially if you found the podcast concepts engaging and valuable.