"He who treats the site of pain is often lost." - Karel Lewit

 Sharing with you...No,  ECHOING to you what needs to be heard.  See the big picture.  Take a holistic approach in your management strategies.

Wagner T, et al. Strengthening and neuromuscular reeducation of the gluteus maximus in a triathlete with exercise-associated cramping of the hamstrings. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2010 Feb;40(2):112-9.

LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE!!!: A Holistic Approach to Therapy

Credit and thanks to erikdalton.com.  I just found this picture in Google images. This picture thus conveys a thousand words.

Now the picture above might be similar to your leg and foot.  Obviously it is a 'COMMON' postural imbalance.  Most people who have this present with back pain and back pain is all they get treated for!

Back pain in this scenario is only a symptom; a manifestation of the imbalance in the kinematic chain.  As you can see from the picture above, this is not a regional problem.

So why does conventional treatment focus on a regional approach?  Such treatment is symptomatic and gives immediate but not a lasting solution.

An accurate diagnosis of postural and movement dysfunctions cannot be made through interviews and history-taking.  

We have to assess posture.

We have to assess gait.

We need to look at the entire body.

We have to see the bigger picture.

WE HAVE TO PALPATE.

Assess. Intervene. Re-test.

FIND THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM.

Fix the primary somatic dysfunction.

Find it. Fix it. Leave it alone.

A building with a poor foundation becomes unstable and eventually topples over.  Can you guess the similarity between the picture of the building and the picture of the leg above?

If you do, you probably know how to start fixing the problem for both.  Initially, that is.  Initially.