Joint and Muscle Complaints

Not necessarily. The area where something is felt is important, but it does not have to be the only region involved. An elbow, for example, is also influenced by the hand, shoulder and neck; an ankle works together with the foot, knee, hip and torso.

That is why the whole body is examined – with particular focus on the affected region and its immediate surroundings. What matters is whether a suspected connection can be verified in practice during the examination.

In the case of an acute irritation, it can make sense to temporarily adjust the load. The long-term goal, however, is not for the region to have to do less and less. It should become so mobile, strong and resilient again that everyday life, work and sport are possible as a matter of course.

To achieve this, a well-tolerated level of load is chosen first and then increased step by step.

Often it is less a problem of load and more a problem of load tolerance. A specific movement, a heavy object or a supposed "wrong lift" can be the occasion on which the problem shows itself. However, they are usually not the actual cause.

Many measures initially calm the affected spot or avoid the triggering movement. That can be helpful in the short term. In the long term, however, strength, mobility, suppleness, balance and coordination should be improved to the point where the movement in question becomes possible and even comfortable again.

X-ray or MRI images are important and are included in the examination. However, visible changes often do not sufficiently explain why a person is limited.

Degenerative changes can often be well integrated by a well-functioning and resilient body. An image shows certain structures, but not fully how a joint functions at work, in everyday life or during sport. That is why the finding is assessed together with your movement, strength, mobility and specific situation.

Imaging techniques show some structures very well, others only to a limited extent. They also do not show how forces are distributed when walking, gripping, lifting or training, and how the body regions involved work together.

An unremarkable finding therefore does not mean that there is nothing to examine or improve therapeutically. The affected region should additionally be analysed in movement and in the context of the whole body.

Unfortunately, I cannot answer that in general terms. Similar symptoms can have very different physical preconditions. A region may need more mobility, more strength, better balance or a different dosage of load.

That is why exercises are first selected and taught to match your personal map. Depending on the findings, fascial therapy can also be useful to improve mobility and tissue suppleness. Later, you learn to adjust duration, intensity and number of repetitions independently to your progress.

Sport and exercises should be adjusted so that they develop the affected region without irritating it unnecessarily. As a rough guideline, the intensity during the activity and afterwards should preferably not rise above 3 out of 10.

Weight, speed, range of motion, training duration and number of repetitions can be adjusted accordingly. If you are unsure, you should coordinate the load with a therapist or doctor.

This cannot be reliably determined in advance. The duration depends, among other things, on your history, the structures involved and your personal goals.

However, a noticeable change should become apparent after roughly four treatments at the latest – for example when gripping, walking, carrying, moving or doing sport. Afterwards, it is reviewed which assumptions have been confirmed and whether the treatment approach should be adjusted.