One of the most important discoveries in the history of treating musculoskeletal pain is directional preference. It refers to rapid and lasting improvements in symptoms, motion and function with movement in a specific direction. DP is found in roughly 75% of people with back, neck and extremity pain and is discovered through an assessment carried out by a healthcare professional with training in the McKenzie Method.

DP has been studied for decades, and research is starting to uncover factors that help predict which direction will benefit a person. Two studies, each looking at various aspects of the assessment, discovered that the best predictor was the direction opposite excessive mechanical stress. Excessive mechanical stress refers to a movement or position that someone performs more frequently than others at a particular joint.

An example is a receptionist with knee pain who sits most of the day with knees bent. That position represents the direction of excessive mechanical stress. If we determined that they had a directional preference for their knee pain, it would likely be in the opposite direction: knee extension or straightening out their leg.

That research tells us that moving too much in one direction gets us into trouble and that moving in the opposite direction often gets us out of trouble. But do we have to wait until pain occurs? Could moving in the opposite direction actually lessen the likelihood of developing pain?

The answer is likely yes.

Take spinal flexion, a direction of movement that most of us spend a great deal of time in. Spinal flexion occurs when we sit and bend forward, and research shows that we flex our spines thousands of times per day.

Researchers were curious about what would happen if people purposefully moved in the direction opposite spinal flexion. To determine that, they randomized over 300 military recruits into two groups. One group was to perform 15 prone press-ups twice per day and to assume an upright posture whenever they sat. The other group carried out their usual daily activities without modification.

The study’s results revealed a significant decrease in low back pain in the press-up group over one year. By using the press-up to move in the direction opposite spinal flexion, those recruits were able to counter the mechanical stress.

Those principles of moving in the opposite direction have tremendous potential in preventing back, neck and extremity pain. You can give yourself a better chance to stay pain-free by simply reversing what you do all day.

I will be speaking on this topic at BC Fitness in Silverdale March 5 at 6 p.m.

Dr. Jordan Duncan is from Kitsap County and writes a monthly online health column for Kitsap News Group. He is the owner of Silverdale Sport & Spine.