Relieve Low Back Pain | Reduce Low Back Pain | Canada's Leading Authority in Human Movement | Dev Chengkalath

During my time as a physical therapist, I’ve come across a fairly significant number of individuals suffering from chronic pain.

These people have experienced pain for far longer than what would be expected from their form of injury or they had pain with no known cause that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

No trauma, no falls, no apparent reason for their debilitating pain and discomfort.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve seemed to have had an influx of clients come in with long-standing complaints of chronic pain similar to the above.

While completing the assessments and taking the histories, I found myself asking some of the same questions over and over again.

Mostly to myself, I would hear my deep masculine voice in my head (I swear that’s what my voice sounds like!) asking:

Why were these individuals still in pain, over such a long period of time, when there wasn’t any significant physical or organic cause for the pain?

Many had been tested using all the latest in technology from MRIs to CT scans to doppler imaging. Scopes, probes, blood and tissue samples etcetera etcetera.

It would seem as though no medical stone was left unturned.

Multiple medications had been prescribed and ingested. Referrals had been conducted. Second, third and fourth opinions had been sought. Specialists consulted. Therapies rendered. The list goes on.

But still no solutions.

And often, even no hope of salvation from the unyielding shackles of pain were given…Typical responses included “you’ll have to learn to live with it.”

With the exponential growth of medical science, why were these people still suffering?

Why were they still at the mercy of the relentless battering placed upon their bodies, minds and spirits by this crushing beast we call chronic pain?

As my cognitive wheels were turning, I kept coming back to a single question. It kept repeating over and over again in my head:

Where had modern medicine failed them?

In my next blog post I’ll discuss in greater detail HOW modern medicine missed out. And what you can do to fill in those gaps to protect yourself or your loved ones.

Yours in movement,

Dev Chengkalath

As I’m off to a wedding in a couple hours, this post will be  a short one.

In my last post about pains, trains and automobiles, I espoused the power of posture and how awareness of the same will give you control over most your aches and pains.

There’s another element that I’d like to explore in today’s post.

As the title says, it’s pretty simple.

But as always, simple doesn’t always mean easy.

Reduce your stress.

After all the traveling I’ve done the past few days I had a chance to partake in some incredible and breath-taking stress-relief therapy myself.

I would invite anyone and everyone  to make it a part of their bucket list to go visit the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada.

More specifically, go to Canmore (an incredible, picturesque mountainside getaway) about 45 minutes West of Calgary for a spectacular savory crepe breakfast at the Gourmet Croissant and then make the trip out to Moraine Lake, which is just a short trip from Lake Louise.

Peace of body and mind.

Just stand and stare into the magical waters of this lake and I can guarantee your stress will melt away.

The water colour was overheard quite accurately being described as “make-believe”.

I couldn’t agree more.

Yours in stress relief.

Dev Chengkalath

Well, it’s been over a month since I’ve last posted on this blog.

And if it weren’t for my friend Rumu in Calgary, it would have probably been even longer. Thanks for the kick in the pants.

I realize I was getting  fairly sporadic with my posting.

I had all the excuses.

And I could come up with a million more excuses.

All of them would be fairly valid.

I’ve been working 12 hour days at the clinic doing physical therapy, I’ve been out of town for continuing education courses and seminars, and I’ve been putting out a slew of professional fires. But in reality, if I actually look at the reasons for my absence they’re pretty weak…

Now, you’re probably wondering what the hell this has to do with motivation to move.

So here it is: how often have you created, crafted and customized an excuse not to move?

We’re all guilty of it.

Too tired. Too busy. Too (fill in the blank here).

In our mind it’s pretty easy to create justification for not only our actions, but our inactions as well.

I told myself that I was too tired, that I’d worked long hours, that I’d write tomorrow, or the day after. Somehow, I still found time in the past month to watch a few movies (I don’t watch TV, but I do have a DVD player) or just veg out. In that time, I could have pumped out a few blog posts or written a few articles.

In reality, it comes down to my poor planning and preparation. I knew my hours at work would be increasing. I knew I would have those courses and seminars. I didn’t plan ahead and for that I am at least a month behind on my blogging.

There was, however, one area where I did take a few steps in preparation.

My training.

I knew that with my increased work and education load that it would be easy to push this fairly important aspect of my life to the back-burner (or even off the radar!).

Then serendipity struck.

At the same time that these changes were taking place, about 9 weeks ago, I came across a forum post on Precision Nutrition.

In this post, a gauntlet had been dropped, a challenge had been set forth. It was a 16 week body transformation challenge where the only prize on the line was EGO. No cash. No prizes. Nothing more than self-actualization.

Putting my name down and being accountable, even to an essentially faceless group of people on an internet community, has kept me on task at the gym. That an those half-naked pics.

My goals were lofty but not body composition related.

I figured if I chose performance targets my body would change during that journey.

In the 16 weeks I am to complete a triple body weight squat, a triple body weight dead lift, a double body weight chin up and a double body weight bench press.

I hit one of the four already. Because I had to.

I am getting close on the second. But that still leaves two more that need work in the next 7 weeks.

So here’s my challenge to you.

Find your motivation to move.

And let everyone know about it.

That social accountability will go a long way in keeping your on track towards your movement goals.

I know it worked for me.

Yours in movement.

Dev Chengkalath

“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

Henry David Thoreau

This was a quote from the keynote address given by Brian Grasso, founder and CEO of the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA), at a fitness conference I attended a few months back.

What a powerful statement. And what a powerful keynote speech.

Although the quote and the speech were not directly related to health, fitness, physical therapy, or human movement, they did stir something deep inside of me.

An awakening.

I had to really figure out what I’m doing and what I’d like to accomplish in this field.

I had to stop and think about what gets me up in the morning and excited to start my day and what keeps me going and wanting to learn more, do more and be more.

I spent much of the conference doing what I should have done years ago.

I had to find myself.

Have you ever stopped, paused and taken stock of your life?

It’s not easy at all.

There are definitely ghosts to confront and skeletons to battle. You become vulnerable to those around you. And even more vulnerable to yourself.

That’s a scary position to be in.

In any industry. In any situation. Let alone in the “macho” and “testosterone-fueled” field of fitness and high performance where confidence and bravado reign supreme.

I had to take a deep, hard look at who I was, and what I wanted to achieve. I had to find my inner motivation. I had to find what drives me.

I had to find my passion.

I remember going to bed that night after having mulled my “quiet desperation” all day.

I remember waking up the next morning with a new clarity, a new sense of awareness, a sharper sense of self.

I had teased out the source of the passion in all that I do for my clients; for those looking for body transformations or looking to lose weight; for those looking to gain muscle mass; for those looking to become stronger; for those looking to improve performance and even for those looking to live their lives pain free.

There was one underlying and unifying motivation that has compelled me to serve my clients better.

That compels me to serve my clients better.

Empowerment.

Dev Chengkalath

Have you ever stopped to think about all the things you’re able to do?

Or do you spend more time thinking about the things you’re not able to do?

Riding up the elevator this morning to my apartment, I was carrying a 25 lb box of nutritional supplements that Fed Ex had safely imported for me from the United States. 

There was an older lady who was wheeling her small portable grocery cart who hopped in with me. Seeing me holding the box, she told me that I should rest it against the  metal railing to make it easier.

For me, the 25 lbs box wasn’t what I’d consider heavy. I had no problems carrying the parcel for the 6 or so minutes that it took to get from my car in the underground parking to my place 23 stories up. 

But what she said got me thinking. 

How many times in my life had I tried to make physical tasks easier when I should have relished the challenge of making them harder?

How many times had I taken the escalator or elevator when I should have taken the stairs?

How many times had I circled the parking lot looking for that money spot right by the entrance?

How many times had I taken the easy road when I could have gone off the beaten path?

In my line of work I’ve had the fortune of interacting with some of the strongest people out there. I’m not talking just physically strong, but mentally tough. These are the people who have had the fortitude to face and overcome incredible challenges and hurdles, the people who have had to relearn how to walk, relearn how to feed themselves, relearn life. These are the people that had their movement, among other things, taken from them, through error, accident or misfortune. 

The ones who got it back, didn’t take it for granted after. 

Funny how it takes losing something so precious before your realize how much it’s worth.

How many times had I taken for granted what I am able to do?

What do you take for granted?

Wishing you and yours a prosperous and movement filled 2009.

Dev Chengkalath