"Don't just treat the site of the pain, treat the root cause". You've probably heard or seen this.

On the surface, it sounds attractive - what could be more valuable than treating the cause, rather than the symptom?

However on closer inspection it turns out that there are gaping chasms of faulty assumptions underpinning this idea.

PLUS: Will strength training make me stiff?

Pain links

• A tailored exercise program to correct movement control impairment is no better than general exercise for people with low back pain here and again here
• Most "abnormal" imaging findings are equally common in pain-free and painful shoulders here
• IASP (International Association for the Study of Pain) definition of pain here
• Short blog on the cup of resilience concept by Greg Lehman here
• A short video by Physiotutors on the cup metaphor here
• Raph explaining Adrian Louw's pain and resilience arrow diagram here
• Psychological factors are the best predictor of the outcome of physiotherapy for people with shoulder pain here
• Psychological factors predict the transition from acute to chronic low back pain here
• Stress is a better predictor of back pain than posture or spinal mobility (in fact people with low back pain lift with a more "correct" posture) here
• The fall of the postural, structural, biomechanical model here
• Louis Gifford Aches and Pains book here
• Understanding pain in less than 5 minutes video here

Flexibility links

• Strength training increases flexibility here and here and here
• Increasing flexibility is probably less about changing physical properties of the muscle than it is about altering sensation here
• Long-term stretching doesn't change the mechanical properties of muscles or tendons here and here or neural drive to the muscles here
• Elite powerlifters have tight shoulders and mobile hips here

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