DO WE NEED TO ACHIEVE BODY SYMMERTY?
DO WE NEED TO BE SYMMETRICAL TO BE PAIN FREE?
For the most part no, but in some instances it might help. Below I will discuss both so that you have a better understanding of symmetry and how that relates to your body.
Have you ever been told that the cause of your pain is due to an asymmetry in…
Leg lengths
Shoulder heights
A pelvis shift
Spinal curves
I want you to sit with that thought for a second.
Then think about your friends & family which also have these features yet have no pain…
Pain is driven by a lot more than posture or alignment. Current research now suggests that pain is often poorly related to structure and/or tissue damage.
So why isn’t perfect symmetry the goal?
Think of every tennis player, golf player & human ever. We have a preferred side to use when we play these sports, and even if we don’t, I’m sure we often use the same hand to check our phones, write with etc.
Being asymmetrical isn’t the enemy, nor has it stopped people from achieving their best!
Usain Bolt (current 100m world record holder)
Lamar Grant (first person to deadlift 5 x his body weight)
Jessica Ashwood (Australian Swimmer - Silver Olympic Medalist)
All of the above athletes have clinically significant scoliosis but have still been able to achieve the highest peaks of athleticism
And when we look at how our organs are arranged, we have a:
🔸Larger diaphragm on the right
🔸Heart which sits to the left 🫀
🔸Liver to the right
🔸Lungs which each differ in size 🫁
🔸Spleen to the left
The fact that our organs are arranged the way they are gives clues to the fact that maybe we shouldn’t be as concerned about symmetry as we are 🧐
So when might exploring asymmetry be important?
If it’s a muscle strength discrepancy (for example, recovering from an ACL injury).
If your scoliosis has been imaged and has a “cobb angle” of greater than 20 degrees.
If you have pain, even if it may not be related it is still worth getting checked out.
In these instances, it may be more relevant to look at symmetry
Trying to achieve perfect symmetry is redundant because we’re all asymmetrical beings from the inside out. Nor is it purely the singular cause of one’s pain.
If you are in the market for a practitioner, I would consider looking to find someone that doesn’t see you as a stack of blocks in alignment but rather a human being.
The goal of overcoming pain shouldn’t be trying to change your structure, but rather improve how you function.
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