When we think of our bodies, it is very easy to think that listening to symptoms, or the absence of symptoms will tell us all we need to know.  How you feel versus how you function are two different ways to look at your health. 

How you feel can be very transient.  Do you have any pain? Do you feel stiff? Do you notice tension in your body?  The issue with just relying on how you feel is that it can be hugely influenced by other things, which can distort the true story of how you are feeling.  How you feel can be influenced by your mood, the weather, what you eat, places or people and so on.  

The lack of symptoms can be misleading.  Just because you don’t currently notice anything, just means that there isn’t something big ENOUGH yet for your brain to tell you. For most people, dysfunction over a period of time creates pain and symptoms.

Function fluctuates far less than feeling and can indicate when things are not working optimally, rather than when things are injured.  Using your function as an indicator is a far more effective indicator to keep track of how your body is changing. It usually takes less time to notice symptoms than to notice that your function has changed. Symptoms can be the last thing to come, and the first thing to go.  Making sure you are functioning well will be the best measure for preventing them from coming back.

As chiropractors, we assess your function in many ways; e.g. through your posture, gait, squat, range of motion (flexibility), strength and reflexes.  For example, we may measure your neck range of motion and record that it has increased by 20 degrees in how far you can look over your shoulder, but at the moment it still feels the same to you.  By measuring your function, we can tell that your body is healing and improving, you just need some more time until you begin to feel the difference.

The way we feel may not be the best indicator of progress, especially when your body is likely to have been moving in a dysfunctional way for some time. We encourage you to try to pay attention to how your body is functioning; how are you moving, how are you coping with daily stresses, how are you sleeping?

The Evolve Team

Many thanks to Evolve Chiropractic for sharing this article with Dave Savage Sports.

As chiropractors, we understand the true value of a healthy and fully functioning body and nervous system.  Our aim is to allow every person the opportunity to Heal, Adapt and Evolve into their best selves.


The Evolve Team can be contacted by phone 01962 809690 or via e-mail hello@evolvechiro.co.uk

3-4 St. Clements Yard, St. Clement Street, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 9DR