The Myth of “Fix It" Where It Hurts

Why local pain isn’t always a local problem and what therapists and trainers need to do instead.

“I keep stretching it… but it just tightens right back up.”

You’ve heard it before.

Maybe from your client.

Maybe from your own mouth.

You do the work.

You follow the textbook.

You mobilize the joint, strengthen the area, and cue better posture.
And for a moment, maybe a day or two, things improve.

But then?

Right back where you started.

That shoulder won’t stay open.
That hip still feels “off.”
That squat still collapses at the bottom.
That low back still flares under load.

It’s frustrating.

It makes you question your programming, your manual skills, and your judgment.

But the issue isn’t necessarily your technique.
It’s that you might be treating the wrong problem.

The Biomechanical Model: Good Intentions, Limited Results

Most of us were trained in a biomechanical linear, localized model:

• Shoulder hurts → mobilize the shoulder
• Hip locks up → stretch the hip
• Back hurts → strengthen the core

And in many cases, that makes sense. 

And it does work.

If a joint is stiff due to underuse or if there’s mild tissue irritation, local interventions can move the needle.

But what happens when you’ve done all that and the dysfunction persists?

Here’s what I hear from professionals across every discipline, every week:

• “We’ve tried everything, strength, mobility, tissue work, but the range keeps disappearing.”
• “She can deadlift, but she still can’t hinge pain-free.”
• “He’s got a six-pack and still can’t stabilize in a loaded carry.”
• “I cue glute engagement endlessly, but they collapse into valgus under stress.”

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

And you’re not doing it wrong.

You’re just missing one critical piece:

The brain is running the show. 

 Now don't run because we said brain.  This is as easy as learning your NASM certification or any other.  Applied Neurology is simple to understand, even faster to implement, and makes all your biomechanical teachings work even better. 

Safety First: How the Brain Shapes Movement

Let’s pause for a truth that should guide every rehab, training, or performance decision:

The nervous system’s top priority is not performance.
It’s survival.

And when it perceives threat, it limits what you can access.

Pain, tightness, limited range, and motor hesitation are not signs of mechanical failure.
They are protective outputs, where the brain saying:

“This position feels risky. I’m going to shut it down.”

So what we call “tight” hamstrings may be bracing for balance loss.
That “weak” hip may be guarding against visual instability.
That shoulder impingement might be the brain pumping the brakes because it doesn’t trust the visual horizon when the head turns.

In short, the body isn’t broken. It’s being protected. 

The Real Problem Isn’t Where It Hurts

Let’s take a common scenario:

Your client’s left shoulder locks up in overhead flexion.
You:

• Mobilize the capsule
• Stretch the pec
• Strengthen scapular stability
• Cue serratus and upward rotation

And yet, overhead ROM disappears when they pick up a kettlebell or rotate under fatigue.

Why?

Because that shoulder isn’t working in isolation.

It’s part of a sensory-driven, threat-detecting system.

And that system might be:

• Picking up mismatched signals between the eyes and the inner ear
• Receiving unclear input from the opposite foot
• Reacting to an unstable diaphragm or shallow breathing pattern
• Operating with an outdated “map” of what’s safe from a previous injury

Unless you resolve the input mismatch, the output will stay restricted. 

No matter how “good” the mechanics look.

The Problem With Chasing Output Alone

Most rehab and performance systems focus on output:

• Range of motion
• Force production
• Muscle activation
• Coordination under load

But output is only possible after the brain processes and interprets sensory input.

If the input is:

• Noisy
• Mismatched
• Incomplete
• Or unfamiliar

…the brain will block or distort the output to prevent potential harm.

This is why form can be perfect, but the system still fails.
Why strong muscles can’t stabilize.
Why cues fall flat, and regressions don’t stick.

You’re treating what the body is doing…
without addressing what the brain is perceiving.

A Better Question: “What’s Making the Brain Feel Unsafe?

This is the moment everything starts to shift.

Not just in how we treat movement, but in how we understand it.

When a client presents with chronic tightness, mobility loss, or unexplained motor hesitations, ask:

• What sensory systems are underfed or misaligned?
• Is this position triggering a memory of past trauma or instability?
• Is the visual or vestibular system confused in this context?
• What’s happening upstream — in the jaw, feet, breath, or eyes — that might be modulating this output?

Because the nervous system isn’t linear.

----> It’s global.

It doesn’t care that you strengthened the glutes.
If the foot can’t stabilize, the glute will be pulled offline.

It doesn’t care that you mobilized the shoulder.
If the visual horizon tilts during movement, the brain will limit elevation.

It doesn’t care how great your core program is.
If the diaphragm is locked and the jaw is clamped, the brain reads threat, and protection wins.

Case Snapshot: “But I Didn’t Even Touch His Shoulder”

I had a client, a 29-year-old powerlifter, with restricted shoulder flexion.
He couldn’t press overhead without compensation.

He’d already worked with a great PT.
Manual therapy, scapular stability, thoracic mobility. and more. 

The works.

But here’s the twist:
His right foot had significantly less toe mobility and pronation control, which I found from his health history questionnaire and an old injury where he broke his toe. 
He also had mild vision instability with right gaze.

We started with:

• Toe pulls and dorsum foot mobilization
• Eye tracking in his deadlift starting position. 
• Breath and hum with a head tilt.

No direct shoulder work.

And yet, his overhead range opened up by 25°.

“I’ve been smashing my shoulder for months,” he said. “And it was my foot?”

Yes.
Because it was never about the shoulder.

It was about how the brain was interpreting safety in that pattern.

Rethinking Assessment: Input Over Output

If you’re a therapist or coach working with “stuck” clients, consider adding these to your checklist:

1. Assess in Position (like I did with deadlift)

• Neutral testing won’t reveal dynamic threat.
• Test where the breakdown occurs: in rotation, hinge, gaze shift, sport posture.

2. Test Visual and Vestibular Systems 

• Can they converge, track, and stabilize gaze during movement?
• Is the visual horizon matching environmental cues?

3. Look at the Opposite Side 

• Opposing joints often carry threat compensation.
• A tight left shoulder may be reacting to poor input from the right foot.

4. Consider Jaw, Tongue, and Breath 

• These are primitive, brainstem-driven regulators of tone and postural control.
• Small resets here can have a global impact.

The Real Goal: Create Conditions for Safety

Your job isn’t to force mobility or perfect form.

It’s to give the brain better information, so it can stop protecting and start allowing.

Because when the brain receives clear, consistent input?

• Guarding disappears
• Tone reduces
• Patterns smooth out
• Strength expresses itself again

That’s when real, sustainable change happens.

Don't Chase the Pain. Decode the Pattern.

You can keep fixing where it hurts.
And sometimes, it’ll work.

But for those complex cases, the ones that “should” be improving but aren’t, zoom out.

Ask the question the body is begging you to ask:

“What’s making the brain feel unsafe, and how can I change that input?”

That’s not just a better strategy.
It’s a whole new lens for helping people heal, perform, and thrive.

Want to go deeper into applied neurology for rehab and performance?
Here are some important articles to help you on your educational journey. 
✅ The Hidden Brain Science Behind Your Posture
✅ The Threat Bucket 
✅ Why Assessments Say Your Client is Good, But Still Have Pain