Key Z Health R Phase Concept #9:The Neuromatrix of Pain

I know it sounds like a concept from the movie The Matrix, but it is a newer (ok, not really that new, but not overly well accepted) theory about pain.  Pain lives in the brain.  Pain is needed for survival.  There is actually a condition where some don’t feel pain, and they have horrible problems with doing all sorts of nasty stuff to themselves since they don’t get the signal that “Hey, what is that I smell, oh, I left my hand on the hot stove!”  Duh!

The pain in the brain can go awry though and start to cause other issues.   According to the Neuromatrix of Pain, you have 2 areas to work on

1) Signals – alter the signals coming in to the brain.  Movement can do this, as can other things

2) Interpretation -  how the brain translates that signal.

By working on both of these, many times pain can be reduced or eliminated.   Now it is not always that easy, but greater than 50% of the time with acute pain (chronic pain is a whole different can o’ worms) it can be altered in 1 session!  Pretty crazy.   It still amazes me to this day when just a few of the correct joint mobility (or sometimes eye or head movements) get man athlete to move much better.  When they move much better, a vast majority of time their pain drops dramatically.

Move Better = Less Pain

I’ve seen this myself to date about 90 times (conservative estimate).   I know it sounds crazy, but it is true.

Summary

What you thought you knew about pain is most likely out dated! Pain is a multi focal event. If you are in pain, you are NOT performing at an optimal level. Period. You need to get OUT of pain ASAP for extreme human performance.

I have a few other articles that discuss this, so check them out below

Pain Blog Posts (these are just a few)

Is Pain Bad for Performance ?

Pain and Athletic Performance, a New Study

Z Health, Pain and Limb Shaking

Nerve Flossing Z Health Style- I can rotate my neck

Tennis Elbow Pain and Tendinosis: An Exercise Fix

Biomechanics of Pain and a Shot to the Nuts

If you want to feel, move and perform better, drop me a line today for a session!  Just hit the “contact” tab above to reach me via email for details.  I guarantee everything I do 100% and your satisfaction is my top priority.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

Key Z Health R Phase Review Concept #7

The concepts covered in Z Health continue on and make sure to see a few of the previous ones below if you missed them.

• Key Z Health R Phase Review Concept #6: Optimal Motor Learning

• Key Z Health R Phase Review Concept #5: All the Body All the Time

• Key Z Health R Phase Review Concept #4: The 3 Rs of R Phase Why is it called R-Phase?

• Key Z Health R Phase Review Concept #3: Why focus on the nervous system?

• Z Health Athletic Performance System Review: Concept #2 The SAID Principle

Sensory motor amnesia (SMA)

This term was first coined by Dr. Thomas Hanna and describes a process where you have lost sensation of certain parts of your body! Sounds crazy, but if you can not feel it, do you think you will have a loss of performance? You betcha (see, I am from Minnesota and I am having hot dish for dinner with a lutefisk chaser; I know you are jealous).

Startle Reflex

This is a hard wired reflex in everyone. You can learn to modify it, but it impossible to extinguish it completely. The body is survival based, not performance based. Personally, I think this sucks, but I can’t change it.

To get a performance increase, you need to teach the body how to survive better.

Increased survival potential is a way to “back door” performance increase. By learning to watch for startle, you can gage your performance. In general, if you are going into startle you will need to drop the load on your lift. Now you may be able to lift it, but long term you are not doing yourself any favors by constantly going into startle every time.

Andy Bolton deadlifts1008 lbs for a new world record

Watch Benedikt Magnusson do a 1100 Pound Deadlift

Watch Benedikt Magnusson’s training for the deadlift.

Is he making it look hard?

I LOVE watching those video!!

What did you see?

Even though it is a world record for Andy Bolton and the other lifts are nuts, there is minimal startle.  Bolton’s face is still relatively calm. He makes it LOOK easy. That is your goal. Make it LOOK easy. All the greats do that, from Wayne Gretzky, to Michael Jordan, to Tiger Woods to Barry Sanders.

Any comments, post away at the bottom!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

Here is an article for more information on the concepts above that I wrote for XL Athlete

XL Athlete Dysfunctional Exercise Cues By Mike T Nelson