Have you ever been told your back, neck, rib or hip is “out”? It’s one of the most common phrases used when people talk about pain:“My back’s out.”“My hip’s out.”“My neck’s out again.” But what does “out” actually mean? Is something dislocated?Out of alignment?Locked?Or is it simply painful and stiff? The word “out” gets used a lot — by both patients and sometimes even health professionals — but it’s not a precise medical term. The problem is that vague or dramatic langua

By Dr. Anthony Dileo (Osteopath) Your brain is constantly receiving information from your body. Every second, your joints, muscles, skin, eyes and balance system are sending messages upstairs: Where am I? Am I safe? Can I move? Is this painful? Have I done this before? Should I protect this area? Your brain then uses that information to build a working “map” of your body. Not a perfect anatomical textbook map — more like a live Google Map that is constantly being updated, rer