That neck pain and foot twinge might be more connected than you realize. Doug Bertram takes time to carefully explain why as he describes his company's approach to common orthopedic conditions.

This podcast provides a new appreciation for how important structural balance is to pain-free activity.

Listen and learn

• How exactly "structural elements" applies to the workings of the human body and how that informs their multi-practitioner approach with a combination of modalities,
• What are some examples of structural balance exercises and orthopedic conditions treated by physiotherapy, and
• How an initial appointment would work regarding assessments and examples of therapies like deep tissue restoration. 

Doug Bertram, the CEO of Structural Elements, says they originally started as an educational company. His enthusiasm for and ability to explain how our bodies work makes that evident.

He gives valuable lessons to listeners for how our movement, from the fall of our foot to our posture at the computer, determines a lot of the misalignments and stresses that cause pain. "People think we're an engineering company," he says, and "that's the approach we take to the human body. We look at quantified mechanical vulnerability to stay ahead of joints wearing out prematurely." 

He talks a little bit about the kinds of clients that come to them and explains that while they promote that they treat an active population, they mean this in a relative sense. So while they might treat intense athletes, they also consider someone just wanting to spend pain-free time with their grandkids as an active client. He adds that they also want to establish an active goal instead of just mitigating the pain—what would a client want to actively do if that pain were gone?

He gets specific about how their treatments help regulate the autonomic nervous system by addressing the stress response, which is controlled by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. So while patients may come with orthopedic symptoms, addressing the nervous system is an important part of treatment. "We look at the body as a complete system," he adds, and this informs their whole-body approach. So listen in for an education on this integrative approach.

For more about their work, see structuralelements.com.

Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK