Musculoskeletal Dysfunction

Musculoskeletal dysfunction is a catch-all to describe problems related to movements, mobility, or load-bearing capacity, as a result of impaired muscles, joints, fascia, tendons, and ligaments.

Like all animal, humans adapt to their external environment. The musculoskeletal frame will change in order to meet the demand that is being placed on it. For instance, sprinters will have very powerful thigh and lower leg muscles, whereas gymnast will have stronger shoulder, chest and upper body muscles.

These adaptive changes will, overtime, introduce muscular imbalances which lead to musculoskeletal dysfunction. Even a sedentary person who sits at a desk for 8 hours a day working on their computer will have musculoskeletal adaptive changes that have occurred to meet the demand that needs to be met. This might be in the form of tight neck and upper back muscles, shoulders rolled forwards, and in some case a hunched-back.

Left untreated these musculoskeletal dysfunctions will result in limited mobility of certain muscle groups, pain, and in extreme cases, muscular atrophy.

Musculoskeletal dysfunctions and present as “something feeling off” with certain movements, to severe and debilitating pain with movement.

In my clinic most of the patients that I see present with musculoskeletal dysfunctions that have resulted from overuse exercise injuries, poor posture, acute injury, In my clinic most of the patients that I see present with musculoskeletal dysfunctions that have resulted from overuse exercise injuries, poor posture, acute injury, poor sleeping position, muscular weakness, and repetitive movement.poor sleeping position, muscular weakness, and repetitive movement.

The task of an Osteopathic physician is to evaluate the patient as a whole person, and not defined by their complaint(s). We look for musculoskeletal dysfunction on our exam not just in the area where the patient is experiencing symptoms, but also in areas over and below the area of concern. Because the musculoskeletal frame functions as a single interrelated unit, it’s imperative that total body approach is taken when addressing a localized complaint.

As expected the more physical demand that is placed on the musculoskeletal frame, the more dysfunctions are introduced to the overall system. Some of the most common musculoskeletal dysfunctions that I treat in my clinic are:

·        Strained neck muscles

·        Asymmetric hip flexor contraction and sprain

·        Weakened or strained lower back muscles

·        Strained upper back muscles

·        Overtrained lower leg muscles with limited mobility

·        Strained hips internal and external rotators

·        Strained forearm muscles from overuse injury

The most common activities that result in these above mentioned dysfunctions are:

·        Jogging

·        Dancing

·        Horseback riding

·        Golfing

·        Cycling

·        Weightlifting

·        Exercise boot camps

·        Vocational demands

Many of the most significant musculoskeletal problems I see did not develop overnight. They developed gradually through years of compensation, adaptation, and altered movement patterns. My goal is to find the key musculoskeletal dysfunction(s) as well as the related dysfunctions.

The markers that I use to determine improvement from Osteopathic treatment as pain improvement, increase range of motion and mobility, delayed onset of pain, improved endurance, and an improved musculoskeletal exam.

Dr. Mahmood Sori, DO, MS, MBA