Likewise, the human body — an infinitely more complicated system — operates under the same principle. As an integrated system, multiple muscles spanning the length and width of a body operate in harmony to create functional movement. Consider the children’s song, “Dem Bones” — “the hip bone’s connected to the back bone…” The skeletal system components (bones) are connected to each other through joints, which create links between regions. These links are tethered by ligaments and long bands of tissue called fascia. The body is powered and connected electrically by the nervous system. Dysfunction and pain in one area, therefore, does not mean the underlying issue exists in that same area.

Regional Interdependence

The human body is joined in many ways, both obvious and subtle. Understanding this concept is a central tenet in effective therapy. In short, this principle is known as regional interdependence; it’s the notion that seemingly unrelated impairments in an isolated anatomical region may contribute to, be associated with, or even be the cause of a patient’s initial complaint.

In other words, the body is connected. To diagnose and treat impairment, the therapist and patient must also be connected. AsC.S. Lewis famously said,

“The magic is not in the medicine but in the patients body. What the treatment does is stimulate Nature’s functions in the body, or to remove hindrances.” In a sense, though we speak of healing a cut, every cut heals itself; no dressing will make skin grow over a cut on a corpse.”

The treatment is only as effective as the approach that stays connected to these principles. For this reason, being connected is imperative, not only between practitioner and patient, but also between a patient and her body.

On the Importance of Physical Therapy

Regional interdependence and the notion of being connected create differentiation between physical therapists and many of their peers. While medical professionals seek treatment with a goal of bringing a change in symptoms and improving health, the process often differs for physical therapists. Take Chiropractic, for example; it approaches healing through the neuro-musuloskeletal system, essentially focusing on the spine as an avenue toward health. While chiropractic offers many benefits to patients and society as a whole, its focus is specific.
Physical therapy, on the other hand, takes the whole body into account, aiming to understand the reasons behind impairment and to bring functional ability and a high quality of life to its patients. In the case of the spine example, the finding of spinal dysfunction should lead to the question…”How did it get there in the first place?” The theory of regional interdependence buoys physical therapy, helping therapists to understand the many connections in the body and allowing both therapist and patient to comprehend and plot an avenue toward improved function. In the realm of physical therapy, the goal is to understand symptoms by observing abnormal compensations and searching for the causes. Those causes are not necessarily at the region where the symptoms lie but lurk somewhere else waiting to be uncovered. This process is the real key to understanding any system. A system is a perceived whole, whose elements hang together because they continually influence each other over time and operate toward a common purpose.

When a car is not working, a mechanic needs to work thoroughly to find the problem. The diagnosis, sometimes, exists multiple steps away from what might be considered the obvious problem. The same principle applies to the human body through regional interdependence and the physical therapist works toward diagnosing the issue in a complicated system. So remember, to understand the complexity of your body you must “Be Connected!”