The human body is a collection of 11 major systems—cardiovascular/circulatory, respiratory, digestive/excretory, endocrine, integumentary/exocrine, lymphatic/immune, muscular/movement, nervous, urinary/renal, reproductive and skeletal. Each of the parts in these systems not only interacts with each other, but also with other systems to produce a result.

For example, the eyes interact with the brain, nerves, muscles, circulatory system and the vestibular system within the ears, providing sensory information about motion, equilibrium and spatial orientation. In other words, every part and system of the body is about more than just one thing.

To solve a health challenge, a functional health practitioner examines more than one aspect of one system. For example, should the muscular system begin to experience deficits, the body is likely to send messages to several areas. There may be pain, tightness or a loss of strength or stability.

Any one of these sensations might be felt in the joints or muscles. Occasionally, they might feel as though they are originating from the bones. The message does not need to be in the same place as where the muscular system is functioning with a deficit.

If black-and-white medical answers such as pills, physical therapy, injections, surgery, chiropractic adjustments or massage therapy does not eliminate pain, tightness, loss of strength or stability, and fitness answers such as personal training, foam rolling or stretching also haven’t solved the problem, it is likely that the issue is in a gray area.

Ambiguous movement challenges are best addressed by a certified medical exercise specialist that employs muscle system strategies via physical fitness and identifies aspects of the muscular system functioning at a deficit in quality movement. Improving the quality of movement enhances how the body can move, which leads to feeling better.   

Jay Weitzner, owner of Symmetry: No Fads All Fitness, located at 1750 J and C Blvd., Ste. 10 in Naples, is a certified medical exercise specialist. For more information, call 239-940-2121 or visit SymmetryPrecisionFitness.com.