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Which System of the Body is ‘King’?

Which System of the Body is ‘King’?

We’re thrilled to share this guest article by Victor Popov. Victor is one of Australia’s most respected and experienced Sports and Exercise Physiotherapists with over 35 years of knowledge in the area of elite sport and performance. As the Co-founder of NETT Global and author of our partnership courses NETT Foundations and NETT Advanced, Victor provides valuable insights into human body systems. Read on to delve into his expertise.

The Human Body is a complex and wonderful structure. Those of us who have worked closely in the ‘physical development’ space as therapists and coaches for any amount of time will acknowledge this. Most therapists, coaches and trainers not only appreciate the complexity and adaptability of the human body, but strive to gain a greater understanding of how it works to make us better at what we do (the fact you are reading this article testifies to that fact).

As a Sports Physiotherapist with over 35 years experience in Elite Sport, I have certainly come to respect and appreciate what the human body is capable of, and been fortunate enough to have been able to help a few athletes optimise their performance and achieve their goals. I have also been fortunate to work with some incredible therapists, coaches, trainers and sports scientists along the way, and have continued to try to gain a better understanding of how the body works so that I can make better clinical decisions and give the best possible advice to my clients.

On this (rather long) professional journey, I have had some great successes and spectacular failures with clients, and a few years ago decided to tried to analyse why, even with a consistent approach to treatment/intervention, there was variability in my intervention outcomes with different individuals that had the same issues or problems.  Every therapist or coach will have had the experience that a certain treatment (or training) protocol worked with an individual, and the same treatment (or training) protocol did not achieve the desired result with another individual. The easy answer is to blame the client for the poor outcome: not committing to their program, not following your instruction. The difficult answer is to try to understand how the two ‘systems or bodies’ were different.

With the question of ‘why do human bodies respond differently to the same intervention?’ as a trigger, I began a few years ago to try to develop a broader understanding of how the body reacts to therapy and training interventions. This is a big question, and although the level of knowledge I had gained from a University degree; thousands of hours of courses and reading; years of practical experience and countless in-formal chats with other professionals was considerable, it did not adequately answer that question.

The things I found or conclusions I drew from this ‘enquiry’ can be summarised in a few points:

  • Anyone who thinks they understand exactly how the human body works is kidding themselves.
  • The body is a ‘complex adaptive system’: that means it comprises of a number of systems which interact and enhance each others’ function (I’ll elaborate on this point later).
  • Many of the explanations that therapists, trainers and coaches use for the effects of their interventions are not accurate- but that does not detract from the fact those interventions have value.
  • ‘Old wisdom’ or knowledge has as much value as ‘new wisdom’: elements of ancient descriptions of the body’s functions from teachings of disciplines such Acupuncture and Yoga are proving to be ‘scientifically valid’ as more detailed research into the body is carried out.

 

The Body’s Systems

A fundamental assumption that traditional Western medicine has wrong (in my opinion) is that the body’s various systems are ‘discreet’: that is they operate as independent systems. The systems of the body I refer to are the nervous system, the musculo-skeletal system, the endocrine system, the digestive system, the cardio-vascular system and you can define a few others (just go to any text book on the Human Body). The Nervous System can also be broken down into the Central Nervous System (CNS), Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and Enteric Nervous System (ENS).  Assuming these systems are discreet (that is they don’t interact or influence each other) leads to interventions that are like going to the casino and putting it all on black: sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.

An example of this is strength training: 2 clients can do exactly the same program (exercise and diet) and have different responses. One can do well: get stronger, improve lean muscle mass, feel better while another may not respond as well. Why? The ‘discreet system’ model would suggest a certain training load (reps, sets etc.) and diet (food plus supplements) should yield the same response. The reality is that the musculo-skeletal system, digestive systems and nervous systems interact and can either enhance or supress each other’s responses. The non-responding client may have a gut microbiome imbalance preventing absorption of the nutrients required to increase muscle mass. They may also have Central Nervous System problems: mental fatigue, poor sleep patterns and emotional issues such as depression and anxiety have been shown to have a negative influence on physical training outcomes.

From a therapist’s point of view, understanding that chronic (long-term) pain actually alters both brain chemistry (neuro-transmitter profiles change) and affects how different areas of the brain communicate is important. Neuro-transmitters are the chemicals that brain cells use to communicate with each other, and recent research has shown that many of these are produced in the gut. So a poor digestive system (gut issue) can affect brain function and pain sensitivity. Hence the client whose pain is not reducing with treatment as expected, may have a digestive system issue affecting their nervous system response.

The point I am making with these examples, is that the body’s systems can interact powerfully and affect the outcome of your chosen training and therapy intervention.  Just understanding and appreciating this may help you understand why certain clients do or do not respond to your advice or programs.

Which System is King?

Back to the title of this article: understanding which of the body’s systems is the most influential (the King) gives you a better chance of changing the outcome of your client’s response to your training or treatment intervention, as that system is the most ‘powerful’ entry point.

My strong opinion is that it is the Nervous System which is most influential in the body’s responses. Recall that I mentioned the nervous system has 3 elements: Central Nervous System (brain, spinal cord and nerves), Autonomic Nervous System (parts of the brain and nervous system that control automatic functions of the body) and Enteric Nervous System (Gut). If you can get the nervous system to respond appropriately, it takes the rest of the body’s systems along for the ride.  The body’s physiology is effectively a ‘slave’ to the nervous system: the brain drives motor function (hence physical performance), the level of anxiety or arousal an athlete has at a given time determines their performance, gut microbiome function determines how you absorb nutrients and influences brain chemistry.

There are many examples of how the nervous system controls physiology: motion sickness is the Vestibular System causing the gut to react- you throw up because of a signal from your brain to your gut related to movement of your head. People can faint, collapse, freeze or perform amazing feats of strength as a result of an emotional or traumatic circumstance- the body is responding to a threat (ANS response- fight or flight). You can elicit a physical/ hormonal response from an abstract thought (CNS response-think about the best sex you ever had for a few moments and something generally happens…).  Chasing optimal physical performance usually involves getting into ‘the Zone’ or ‘Flow State’: a headspace that allows the body’s training to be most effectively expressed.

How do I influence the Nervous System?

There are plenty of places to learn more about Nervous System function and ways to influence it. I read book written in the 70’s by Tudor Bompa called ‘The theory and Methodology of Training’ which profoundly influenced my thought processes on how different training methods affect the body. Charles Poloquin is a well-known S and C coach who uses many different Nervous System methods to improve Performance. Dr Eric Cobb and his ‘Z-Health’ program is Nervous System based exercise. Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (say that 3 times fast…) has researched and written extensively on Flow State and Mindfulness training. There is a crazy Dutchman called Wim Hoff who has some cool breathing techniques that influence the ANS in a positive way.

From a sports performance and training perspective, there are some great apps and NS training methods out there:  Grant Hayes is a trailblazer in NeuroPerformance training (SSWITCH and BeFirst); Wilson Meloncelli  has some interesting movement-based flow-state training methods. Nam Baldwin is an Australian trainer who runs B.E.T. (breathing enhanced training) education sessions that teach athletes how to breath and control their CNS responses. Joey Hayes (USP Gold Coast) integrates NS techniques into his day-to-day training  and recovery process.

From a clinical perspective, using breathing techniques and methods such as meditation, yoga and foundation training can all help modulate pain and improve treatment outcomes. I am involved with an organisation providing an education platform and network for professionals called NETT  (Neural Engagement Therapy and Training) that aims to provide ‘audited’ research and NS based intervention education.

So as a trainer or therapist, I believe it is important to take the leap to appreciate and understand that the Nervous System is the King of the Human Body’s various systems. From there, if you develop an understanding of how to positively influence the function of the Nervous System, this will lead you to better intervention outcomes (be they treatment or training –based) with your clients.

About the Author, Victor Popov

Victor Popov is one of Australia’s leading sports physiotherapists, heavily involved in elite sport both domestically and internationally, with many clients who are World and Olympic champions. 

His professional achievements include:

  • Worked at 4 Olympic Games, multiple World Championships, and Tour de France events
  • Establishment and management of successful Sports Medicine clinics in Australia
  • Consultation for AIS, QAS, NSWIS, and international teams such as British Swimming and Cycling
  • Awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000

Want to learn more about Neural Engagement Therapy and Training (NETT)? Explore our NETT Foundations and NETT Advanced courses, proudly developed and delivered in partnership with Victor Popov and NETT Global.

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