Common Vs Normal!

We hear everyday in the clinic “i bet most people can't touch their toes” or “everyone's got something wrong with them so it's fine” and this is where our war with common and normal starts.

If something is common, it occurs often or in terms of symptoms that it affects a large percentage of the population. Normal on the other hand is not based upon how often it occurs but upon a standard of how something should appear or work. Normal can be applied to anything whether its a wheel, a car or the human body, it simply means everything is working and is positioned as it should and therefore meets the normal standard.

The greatest way to understand the difference between common and normal within the human body is through real life examples. An extreme example of this is unfortunately cancer, affecting a staggering 1 in 2 people. This means the disease is very common, but it's easy to understand how nobody would classify cancer as normal. A less extreme example and one that we see everyday in the clinic is back pain, this is usually predisposed by poor range of movement, uneven weight bearing of the joints and poor motor coordination. As part of every consultation our clients complete the vitality testing to assess the above mentioned areas and more. Some simple testing you can do at home are; 1. With feet together and legs straight, can you bend forwards and touch the floor.

2. Can you balance on one foot, with your eyes closed for 30seconds without falling or opening your eyes?

3.Can you march on the spot with your arms out in front and eyes closed for 30seconds and be on the exact same spot when you open your eyes?

So when we consider part of our vitality screening like being able to touch the floor with feet together and with straight legs, it should now be easier to understand how yes it's common to not be able to, but it's NOT normal, therefore if it's not normal, it shouldn't be something you put up with and should be resolved.