When it comes to biomechanics, I am ready to accept that everybody has a piece of the puzzle.
What I am not ready to accept is that everyone has the same amount of puzzle pieces.
I think some might have 10%, and some 50% or more.
Now, this in itself isn't a problem. We all have life experiences and perspectives that will push us to see things differently— some more accurate and “complete” than others.
What becomes a problem, though, is when someone has 10% of the pieces but claims they have more—or even claims to have them all.
When you picture an actual puzzle, this is easy to grasp. Except when it's time to view this analogy in real-life scenarios, this is where all of a sudden, people forget about all this.
The way this analogy unfolds in the movement health industry is when someone makes a valid observation or comes up with an accurate conclusion, but then builds a whole system around it.
There are many examples of this in the movement field, but you'll have to find them for yourself because the moment I call one out, I will get sucked into some social media drama. I’m not in the mood for that lately.
That said, I will give you one example, one I know that won't cause any drama:
In the field of manual therapy, some practitioners can make spinal adjustments of the first and second cervical vertebrae.
Those techniques have been shown to have some positive effects on many people when it comes to managing certain symptoms. Those effects are limited and often very short-lived, but there are some.
Now, because there are some effects, some people hype the concept and take things further to hype up the original concept.
Very promising claims are made, and nonsensical theories are invented.
Theories such as because some (arbitrary) gravity lines pass from the foot, go through the hips, along the spine and end up at C1, adjusting C1 will automatically solve foot, hip and spine problems. Magic!
Or then, because the vagus nerve is involved in digestion and is close to the upper cervicals, anyone having digestion issues will see their symptoms relieved from having their upper cervicals adjusted.
Some people take those concepts so far that whatever the problem their patient might have, they will only perform techniques on this region because adjustments of the C0-1-2 area aren't just good for localized symptom management anymore—it’s good for the whole body.
This is a perfect example of what I call the Hyped-Up Concept Fallacy: Adjusting C0-1-2 has some value, but then someone takes it too far and sells this as a complete truth and system in and of itself.
Unfortunately, what often ends up happening is their wallets get fatter… but at the expense of their clients.
As I said, this is only one example amongst many. If you start paying attention to what’s going on in the movement health industry, you will notice that many systems out there are built around hyped-up concepts.
Yes, some of these systems make valid observations, and some do provide a degree of value— but not enough to justify building a whole curriculum and certification process around them.
So, when you are subjected to information, understand that there is a clear difference between some truths and the truths, and just because someone is right with one thing doesn’t mean that they are right all across the board.
Now, with all this written, I need to make explicit the implicit:
I don’t have all the puzzle pieces.
That said, if you ever work with me or one of our team members, know that we won’t sell you hyped-up concepts.
However, there are things that we do really well, and one of those things is teaching people how to think and help them solve their (physical) problems.
And I won’t shy away from saying that.
So, if you’re looking for a down-to-earth, no-nonsense roadmap to help you address your physical issues, send us a message. We might have some answers, and we’d love to chat with you to see if we can help.