In the second in a series of columns aimed at helping people avoid or recover from injury and prepare well to participate in sport, motion sports therapist Stuart Farmer explains the importance of discovering the causes of recurring injuries.

RECURRING injuries are frustrating and bring with them negative feelings, but each time you find yourself suffering, the distress is compounded.

Discomfort can be highly disruptive to your lifestyle and, in severe cases, can leave you laid up, unable to do even the simplest of tasks.

Very often we seek treatments to correct superficial short-term symptoms without fully understanding the deeper fundamental problems of poor biomechanics.

The body is the master of compensation and will do whatever it needs to protect areas of weakness.

When our muscles work harder to compensate for underlying issues, they can go into spasm, create tightness and even joint instability.

We need to reduce the need to compensate by correcting the causes, not simply working around them.

So what is biomechanics? Firstly, it can be defined by two categories.

Extrinsic biomechanics; is the physical process of performing a movement or task in a mechanically efficient way, and intrinsic biomechanics deals with how this movement takes place.

It is through analysing the intrinsic biomechanics that we can understand faulty movement patterns and identify the areas at risk of injury or why they may recur.

Once these areas have been identified the process of restoring normal function can begin, by either reducing nerve tethering, muscle spasm or joint dysfunction.

A biomechanics coach is able to collate this information through a series of tests and screens, to all areas of the body, including the pelvis, spine, shoulders, knees and feet, as well as understanding nerve functions.

Through an evidence-based approach a coach can then prescribe corrective exercise that will help to restore the body's systems and structures to their intended function and, therefore, correct faulty movement patterns.

Stuart runs a mobile service, Motion Sports Therapy, delivering treatments to your home, office or sports club. Find out more by visiting www.motionsportstherapy.co.uk or contact him on 07776 092540.