Muscle Evolution Muscle_Evolution_-_December_2014 | Page 26

M.E FEATURE By Sean Johnson e LECTRICITY IS A UNIQUE FORM OF ENERGY THAT POWERS JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES. YOUR APPLIANCES IN YOUR HOUSE WOULDN’T FUNCTION WITHOUT IT. THEY WOULD ACTUALLY BE USELESS WITHOUT THE FLOW OF ELECTRICITY TO POWER THEMSELVES AND PERFORM THE FUNCTION FOR WHICH THEY WERE DESIGNED. Your body operates on the same principle except the central nervous system (CNS) is the power provider and carrier. It would make logical sense then, that if the CNS became compromised in some way, it would affect the functioning of your body. Bodybuilding places a large emphasis on the need for your body to be functioning optimally so when your CNS becomes hampered in its ability to do so, this often leads to less than ideal training results. The compression of nerves (particularly spinal nerves) causes irritation of the dura- mater which is continuous with the fascia of the body. This irritation of the nerve (to varying degrees) creates a dural drag, asymmetrical tension or tightness in the musculature leading to pain or discomfort. This affects the functioning of our CNS compromising our bodily structure and systems. There are different types of pain that your body will experience. Muscular pain tends to be a dull ache. Bone pain is a deep, dull and enduring pain while vascular pain is throbbing, changing and hard to pin down. Nerve pain is a sharp, burning or shooting pain that literally can bring an abrupt end to your training. This sharp pain is communicated to your brain via pain-sensitive nerve endings called nociceptors. These nociceptors can be found avoiding a power failure UNDERSTANDING NEURAL IMPINGEMENT 24 Muscle Evolution