Variability is an important aspect of health in many systems in life
By Paul Bolger. Chartered Physiotherapist at Nano Physiotherapy, Kilkenny (www.nanophysio.ie).
We humans like stability. We create rules and routines. Structure, routine and predictability are all important. However, a level of variability seems to be essential for health and resilience in a wide range of systems.
Today, we will explore a few different examples of this, and relate it to our own health, specifically to back health.
A Robust Economy
An economy that is reliant on a small number of industries is vulnerable to collapse. Consider a country that is hugely reliant on one resource or industry. While times are good in that particular sector, the economy will be flying it. But even a small crisis can cause the whole economy to fall asunder.
Healthy economies are diverse and have a wide range of industries and resources – they have wide variability. If there is a downturn in one area, the economy remains strong as it is held up by others. It is more resilient to changes and much healthier. There is even greater innovation in these diverse economies – cultivating further resilience.
Famine
Reliance on one staple crop can leave a population vulnerable to famine. Our history here in Ireland is overshadowed by the great hunger of the mid 1800s – when the potato crop that people relied on repeatedly failed for years. Catastrophe ensued.
Biodiversity
We have all heard of the importance of biodiversity. Ecosystems need variety of life for health. This includes sustained and varied interactions between a wide variety of plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms. Diverse ecosystems are much healthier and more tolerant of changes that they encounter.
When variability is reduced, an ecosystem is more vulnerable to ill-health and collapse.
Variability & Back Health
Our bodies are no different – variability is key for health and resilience. Back health is a good case in point. Often when people suffer from back pain, they begin to restrict themselves in many ways. They reduce movement of their back, they cut back on many activities, they avoid certain places and postures. Variability is reduced and they are restricted to fewer and fewer options – closing their world in around them.
All of this may be useful in the short-term following an injury or during a pain flare – allowing time and space to recover. But it can cause serious problems in the long term.
With recovery, growing out of this restriction and cultivating variability is essential. This might include varying how we lift, move and sit. It might also mean varying the activities that we do, slowly opening ourselves back up to the lives we previously enjoyed.
At Your Own Pace
Some people will be able to return to their usual ways quite quickly. Some will need to take a slow and steady approach – gradually building the variability back into their lives. Others, generally a minority, might need help and guidance from a trained healthcare professional – like a physiotherapist or an occupational therapist.
This is just one example where we know variability is important for health, resilience and quality of life. Can you think of other ways variability is important in your life?
