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Chronic Lower Back Pain

How the Brain Reroutes Movement Under Threat

After last week’s story — the college baseball player with double vision, shoulder stiffness, and a toe pull that changed everything — we got a flood of questions:

“Wait… how can a foot drill fix a shoulder?”
“Is that just a fluke?”
“Is this common… or just athlete-specific?”

Short answer:
It’s not a fluke.
It’s not random.
It’s not exclusive to elite performers.

It’s just neuroscience.
And it’s time more therapists and coaches understood why this works — and how to apply it.

 

So this week in NLN's Neuro News, we’re pulling back the curtain on what’s actually happening when the body releases a pattern without ever touching the pain site.

 

Here’s what we’re covering in this week’s edition:

  • The #1 reframe therapists need to make: Why tightness, pain, and compensation aren't dysfunction, they’re protection.
  • What are Indirect Resets? Where & when not to use them.
  • Communicating Communication with Indirect Resets. 
  • CHART - Common Indirect Resets.
  • The myth of “fixing where it hurts” and how it can mislead your treatment plans.
  •  How the brain reroutes movement under threat, and what sensory systems it's listening to most.
  •  4 Clinical Case Examples

This specifc neuro-news issue is for therapists who are ready to stop chasing symptoms, and start working with the nervous system that controls it all.

 

 

The Myth of “Fix Where It Hurts”

We’ve all been trained in the direct approach:

  • Shoulder hurts? Mobilize the shoulder.
  • Hip locks up? Stretch the hip.
  • Low back pain? Strengthen the core.

And honestly, sometimes that works.
Local interventions can relieve tissue irritation or restore basic function.

But for many clients — especially chronic cases — that approach hits a wall.

  • You stretch the pec, but the overhead range still disappears under stress.
  • You mobilize the ankle, but their squat still collapses at the bottom.
  • You cue glute engagement all day, but they still dump into valgus under fatigue.

What’s going on?

The issue isn’t in the joint.
It’s in the brain’s perception of that joint’s safety. 

 

 

Protection Before Performance

Pain, stiffness, motor hesitation, and limited range aren’t dysfunctions.
They’re protective outputs.

The nervous system is asking:

“Is it safe to move here?”
“Can I predict what will happen next?”
“Do I trust the sensory input I’m getting?”

If the answer is “no,” the brain does its job:

  • Adds tone
  • Limits range
  • Pulls you out of the position
  • Sends pain to reinforce avoidance

You’re not fighting tight tissue.
You’re fighting a system-wide threat response.

 

 

The Most Important Reframe for Therapists

What if that tight hip isn’t about the hip?

What if your client’s movement dysfunction isn’t rooted in weakness, poor mechanics, or “not trying hard enough” — but in a protective strategy playing out beneath the surface?

Let’s zoom out for a second. 

 

What if the real driver of the issue is:

  • A visual system that loses clarity when the head rotates or the body loads asymmetrically

  • A vestibular system (inner ear + brainstem) that struggles to orient when the eyes move separately from the body

  • A jaw locked in clench mode, telling the nervous system “I’m bracing for impact”

  • A foot that isn’t mapping pressure, which removes ground-based input the brain depends on for stability

  • Or a breathing pattern stuck in the upper chest, pulling the body into a sympathetic loop and flattening interoception


Now the hip is on its own.

It's being asked to function without the co-regulation of upstream systems.
And the brain, doing what it’s designed to do, says:

“That feels risky. Shut it down.”

 

So the system compensates:

  • Tension rises.

  • Tone increases.

  • Range disappears.

  • And your best coaching cues fall flat.

 

No amount of glute bridges, clamshells, or foam rolling can override a system that’s protecting itself.

And that’s the real reframe:

Pain and tightness are not dysfunctions.
They are intelligent protective outputs from a brain that doesn’t feel safe.

This is the moment we stop blaming the body for failing...
…and start asking better questions.

  • Where is the threat coming from?

  • What system is underfed or misaligned?

  • Is this movement unsafe… or just uncertain?

Because when we fix the input, we change the output — without needing to force it.

 

 

To the comments and questions from last week’s article…

You asked:

“If it’s not about the joint, then what do we treat?”
“Is this applicable to non-athletes?”
“How do we find the real source of threat?”

That’s exactly where the Indirect Reset comes in.

It’s not magic. It’s not a gimmick.
It’s a clinical strategy that works with the nervous system, not against it.

Let’s break it down in a little more detail.

 

 

How Do You Communicate This to Clients?

You don’t need to get overly technical.
You just need to translate threat and protection into words your clients already understand.

Try phrases like:

“Your body isn’t failing — it’s protecting.”

“Sometimes the problem isn’t in the muscle, it’s in how your brain is reading the situation.”

“We’re not just treating the pain. We’re helping your nervous system feel safe again.”

“Your body is smart. If something doesn’t feel safe, it holds back. We’re giving it new information to build trust.”

 

This kind of language does three things:

  1. Validates the client’s experience without shaming them for not getting better fast.

  2. Shifts the focus from force to safety, which builds nervous system compliance.

  3. Positions you as a strategic guide, not just a technician chasing symptoms.

 

Clients don’t need a neuroscience lecture.
They need to know they’re not broken and that you have a plan rooted in how the brain actually works.

Which brings us to what we’ve been building toward...indirect resets.

 

 

Indirect Resets

def: An indirect reset is any neurological intervention that improves output in one area by targeting a completely different system.

You don’t stretch the shoulder.
You don’t press into the pain site.
You don’t “correct” mechanics until they behave.

You upgrade the quality of the sensory information the brain is receiving.

You change the input, and let the nervous system recalibrate the output.

 

 

4 Clinical Case Examples of Indirect Resets in Action

 

Case 1: Tongue Drill to Restore Core Control

Client: 42-year-old executive. Couldn’t stabilize his core in planks or bird dogs.
Direct interventions tried: Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization, bracing, banded carries equaled no long-term change.
Indirect reset:

  • Jaw glides
  • Tongue press to roof of mouth
  • Humming + nasal breath 

Result: Held plank for 30s longer, rib flare decreased, felt “centered and strong”
Why it worked: Tongue + jaw = major brainstem inputs that modulate midline tone and deep core sequencing

 

Case 2: Eye Circles to Improve Overhead Press

Client: 29-year-old CrossFitter. Shoulder locked up above 120°, scapula hitching.
Direct interventions tried: Thoracic mobility, banded distractions, scapular cues.
Indirect reset:

  • Eye tracking circles + convergence in quadruped 

Result: Shoulder flexion cleared to 165° post-drill
Why it worked: Visual system sharpened → cerebellum recalibrated → reduced guarding in scapulothoracic rhythm

 

Case 3: Jaw Nod to Restore Ankle Mobility

Client: 55-year-old triathlete. Limited dorsiflexion on the right, affecting stride.
Direct interventions tried: Calf work, banded joint mobs — minimal progress.
Indirect reset:

  • Supine jaw glides + hums

Result: 12° increase in dorsiflexion, squat depth increased
Why it worked: Jaw inputs reduced global flexor tone, unlocked inhibition on the lower kinetic chain

 

Case 4: Visual-Vestibular Reset for Back Pain

Client: 37-year-old mother of two, persistent low back tightness under load
Indirect reset:

  • VOR drills + foot splay activation

Result: Could lift kids and bend forward without restriction
Why it worked: Improved horizontal alignment across vision + balance restored cross-pattern trust

 

 

Common Indirect Resets (And What They May Help)

Reset Type

System Targeted

Possible Influence On

Toe Pulls

Proprioception (Foot)

Shoulder ROM, pelvic rotation, single-leg stability

Jaw Glide + Humming

Cranial Nerves + Brainstem

Core engagement, vagal tone, neck tension

Tongue to Palate

Midline + Deep Core Sequencing

Postural control, speech, deep spinal stabilization

Eye Tracking Circles

Visual Cortex + Cerebellum

Overhead ROM, scapular coordination, balance

VOR Tilts

Vestibular System + Orientation

Gait, postural tone, rotation coordination

Breath with Vocalization

Interoception + Vagus

Thoracic tightness, rib flare, emotional regulation

 

 

Why This Changes Everything

We’ve seen the impact these advanced techniques can have when thoughtfully applied. While they’re just tools in your toolbox — cliché as that may be — it’s important to remember that indirect resets don’t replace good training, progressive loading, or solid client education.

But they give you a fast window into the brain’s patterning priorities. We will cover when not to use them in just a minute. 

 

Indirect Resets help you:

  • Identify mismatch and hidden threat
  • Down-regulate protective neuromuscular tension
  • Open up clean movement options
  • Build trust where systems are overprotective

And when the brain feels safe? The system performs. 

 

 

When Not to Use Indirect Resets

Indirect resets are precision tools — not party tricks.

Avoid using them:

  • Without assessment
  • As a “one-size-fits-all” solution
  • In acute trauma without clearance
  • As a substitute for long-term rehab or coaching progression

They're best used when the standard Ladder Framework model stalls, and you need a deeper lever.

 

 

Threat, Not Tissue, Often Drives Dysfunction

Your client isn’t tight because they’re lazy.
They’re tight because their brain has a reason to guard.

You don’t always need to force flexibility.
Sometimes, you need to reduce noise in the system.

That’s why an eye drill can restore a deadlift setup.
Why a jaw mobilization can release a locked ankle.
Why a toe pull can unlock a stuck shoulder.

When the brain has better input, it no longer needs to protect with output. 

 

 

NEURONEWS HOMEPAGE

 

 

 

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