Podiatrist · Specialist in Biomechanics · Founder of VOLKAN
"Recovering is not always about going back to doing something. Many times it is about stopping doing what the body learned to protect itself."
"My injury is already healed… but I still walk strangely"
A few months ago, a patient came in who had suffered an ankle sprain.
The injury had healed.
The tests were normal.
The mobility was good.
The strength had improved.
And yet, he was still walking with some stiffness.
Not because the ankle prevented it.
But because the rest of the body continued to behave as if the injury was still present.
That way of walking had been very useful during the first weeks.
It reduced the pain.
It protected the ankle.
It allowed him to keep moving.
The problem was that the body had retained that strategy long after it was no longer necessary.
It was not a failure.
It was a learning that had not yet been updated.
Learning means saving effort
Our brain constantly tries to simplify movement.
When it finds a solution that works, it automates it.
Thanks to this, we can walk without thinking about each step.
Climbing stairs while we talk.
Driving.
Writing.
Maintaining balance.
All of that happens because the nervous system turns many movements into habits.
And that is extraordinarily efficient.
But there is a consequence.
Habits do not automatically distinguish between what is still useful and what has ceased to be so months ago.
Protection can also become a habit.
Imagine that you avoid putting weight on one foot for several weeks because it hurts.
It makes sense.
The body is protecting a vulnerable area.
But, if that way of walking continues when the tissue has already healed, the nervous system may have consolidated a pattern that it no longer needs.
It doesn't happen because the organism is clumsy.
It happens because it is using a strategy that previously worked well for it.
The brain relies on what it already knows.
Even though, at times, there may be a better option.
Recovering also involves updating the map.
We often think that rehabilitating an injury consists solely of strengthening muscles or regaining mobility.
But there is another equally important part.
The brain needs to recognize again that the body has new possibilities.
It must check that the ankle can bear weight again.
That the knee can bend confidently.
That the foot can feel the ground again without needing to protect itself constantly.
In other words, it needs to update its internal map.
It is not enough that the tissue has changed.
It must also change the way the nervous system interprets it.
Unlearning does not mean erasing
There is a misconception about learning.
We think that unlearning consists of completely eliminating a previous pattern.
In reality, something different usually happens.
The brain retains many of the strategies it has used throughout its life.
It simply stops using them as the first option.
It’s like a tool that remains stored in a box.
It’s still available.
But it is only used when it is really needed.
That also happens with many protective responses.
They do not disappear.
They remain in reserve.
And that is good news.
Because it means that the organism keeps resources to face future situations.
What does this have to do with barefoot?
A lot.
Many people start a transition to minimalist footwear hoping that the foot will change solely because of the type of shoe.
But the real change occurs in the nervous system.
The foot begins to receive different information.
The toes participate more.
The intrinsic muscles work differently.
Balance is reorganized.
The brain compares that new information with years of previous experiences.
And little by little it starts to update its strategies.
It’s not just about strengthening the foot.
It is about teaching the body that it has new options for movement.
What I see every day in consultation
There are patients who come convinced that "their body has gotten used to moving poorly."
I try to change that way of seeing it.
I don't believe that the body learns to move poorly.
I believe it learns to solve problems.
What happens is that some of those problems no longer exist.
And yet, the solution remains.
When the patient understands this, they stop feeling guilty.
They no longer fight against their body.
They start to offer it new experiences so that it discovers more effective alternatives.
That change of focus often marks the beginning of a much more calm recovery.
What you can do from today
Think of any movement you have been avoiding for a while.
Maybe rushing up a staircase.
Bending down.
Walking barefoot.
Standing on tiptoes.
Ask yourself honestly.
Am I avoiding it because I really can't today… or because my body learned long ago that it was safer not to do it?
If the answer is not clear, it may be time to explore that ability progressively and with professional help when necessary.
The body needs new experiences to discover that it no longer always needs to protect itself.
🔬 In a sentence
Recovering also means allowing the nervous system to replace old strategies with ones more suited to the present.
The most important idea
The body never stops learning.
But it also doesn't stop reorganizing what it has already learned.
Recovery does not only consist of repairing tissues.
It consists of updating the way the brain interprets those tissues and controls movement.
That’s why many improvements appear when the organism discovers it can return to trusting abilities it never completely lost.
We are not erasing the past.
We are expanding the repertoire of possibilities for the future.
A question to reflect on
Think of some movement you have been avoiding for a while.
Is it your body that remains limited… or is it an old strategy that has not yet received enough reasons to change?
In the next article…
So far we have talked about movement from the perspective of the brain and tissues.
But there is a question even deeper.
What happens when we stop moving?
We not only lose strength.
We not only lose endurance.
It also changes the way the organism perceives itself.
In the next chapter we will talk about a concept that summarizes much of this book:
The body forgets what it stops using.
We will discover why the lack of movement not only weakens muscles, but also reduces the quality of the information that the nervous system receives and limits its ability to adapt.