Hierarchy of Protection

This is something I talk about to literally EVERY ONE of my clients. It is that important. 

This is the basic strategy of survival for our bodies, so yeah, kinda a big deal!

So let’s get into it.

The way our bodies are designed is to protect the most important things….

The Brain and Spinal Cord. Basically if they are not working, we’re not working. They're encased in sturdy protection—the skull and vertebrae.

Next would be the Heart and the Lungs. Again if they aren’t working, neither are we.They are shielded by a mechanism that allows movement, like the rib cage, facilitating their functions.

Then comes basically the rest of our internal organs of the abdomen. Now we would really like to keep all of these and have them work well, BUT if we had to get rid of some we’d be fine. (I’m looking at you appendix)

Peripheral nerves follow. That twinge before tearing a muscle? That's the nerve stretching. It is MUCH easier for the body to heal muscle tissue over nerve tissue so when it feels the nerve over stretch…the muscle is the 1st to go!

So really our muscles and bones first job is protection….second job is moving us around.

(The body is just absolutely fascinating!)

Ok so this is how we are set up, why is this important? 

Understanding this setup is crucial because pain is an output, not always originating where felt. For instance, left shoulder pain can signal a heart issue. Each organ has a corresponding pain pattern. Liver issues might manifest as right shoulder pain, and back pain could stem from stomach problems.

Pain doesn't always indicate a crisis; it might signal reduced mobility. Organs like the kidneys move significantly with every breath. If things get 'sticky' internally, the brain might interpret it as pain elsewhere.

Again, so why is this important?

Let’s say you are having Right Shoulder Pain. You don’t really remember doing anything to make it start hurting, put some things up on a shelf but nothing out of the ordinary really. You go to see your Dr or PT and they do a bunch of tests and don’t really find much wrong. They give you a couple stretches and send you on your way….but it doesn’t really get any better.

Now let’s say you come to see me. After going through your history and movement assessment, the first thing we do is address the nervous system to make sure you are not protecting that (this is usually described as the fight or flight system) We want to make sure you nervous system is more in a rest and digest state (calm and relaxed)

Next we check the thoracic cavity for a protection pattern and then the abdominal cavity. We want the brain and the body on the same page and in a chilled out state, not in protection mode. Say we find that the body is protecting the Liver at this time. Usually by doing some breathing and maybe a little soft tissue close to that area, releases this protection pattern and when you check your shoulder, the pain is now gone!

This is the power of the body and why knowing and understanding this hierarchy is so important! Using this to our advantage to make sure the body feel safe so everything moves and works in the ways that it is supposed to! This is a truly holistic way to view and treat the body.

I hope this all makes sense to you. If you have any questions please leave them below or reach out!