What can long-standing knee, hip, low back and neck pain have in common?

What do long-standing and aggravating knee, hip, low back and neck pain have in common? They can all be related to an ankle sprain.

An ankle sprain can be a fairly serious injury. Estimates for recovery range from three months to a year. We know that ligaments heal slowly and the tissue surrounding them must be strengthened in order to regain complete functionality. But what is often ignored is the effect of the unstable ankle on the rest of the body. Understanding how kinetic chains work is essential in unwinding complicated compensation patterns from acute or chronic injuries. That area in your head that coordinates how you move without having to actually think consciously about every single muscle contraction will find the path of least resistance and compensate for the shift in your center of gravity. As you hobble around for the next week to months avoiding your poor ankle, your entire body will adjust and eventually that shift might become your new normal. It may take weeks or maybe years for symptoms to creep up in your back, neck, hip or knee but you might find that the cause to all your troubles started when you rolled that ankle.

Ref: David Weinstock