“You can out Function bad Structure”

This is an amazing quote from Dr. Jordan Shallow, and we one hundred percent stand behind it. On a daily basis, I would like to think we teach and demonstrate this concept to everyone. It’s too many to count, but we are constantly seeing people who show up on our doorstep with an image showing worn-out or damaged structures, and we help them restore their function and independence without changing the structure itself.

On a deeper level, what we are getting at here is that our bodies have multiple redundancies for daily functioning. These complex systems support each other and can often rely heavily on one another when another system is down. At times, we can make this compensating system extremely robust so that the “down” system can repair or simply stop being overstressed.

A classic example is the ACL. The ACL is a ligament — a tissue that provides passive structural support. This ligament prevents the tibia from translating forward relative to the femur. In the absence of this structure, such as after an injury, functional tissues like the hamstrings can take over and help pick up the slack for the ACL. This is just one example of many tissue systems in the body that work together in this way.

To simplify, if we maintain or improve our muscles’ capacity to absorb and produce force, we can often enhance the support normally provided by passive structures. The bedrock of this conversation is strength-based exercise, with our focus set on muscle health and neurological training. All of this can be customized by a physiotherapist at Catalyst.