Dan Mehmet

13/01/2026

The idea that your body has to be perfectly symmetrical like a piece of IKEA furniture is an absolute delusion that is honestly dangerous for the believer. We’ve been sold this lie that if one shoulder is higher than the other or your pelvis has a slight tilt then you’re a ticking time bomb of injury and chronic pain.

Your body is more like a rugged rally car than a fragile glass sculpture because it’s designed to absorb impact and adapt to whatever terrain you throw at it.

If a car’s alignment is a fraction off it doesn't just explode on the highway, and your spine is infinitely more sophisticated because it actually gets stronger when you challenge it.

We are not fragile creatures made of porcelain and the constant fear-mongering about "bad posture" is doing more damage to your nervous system than sitting in a chair ever will.

When you start believing you’re "out of place" you develop a nocebo effect where your brain stays on high alert and creates pain signals for no reason.

The real secret to living pain-free isn't finding a therapist to "crack" you back into a straight line but building enough load capacity so your tissues can handle the stress of your life.

You don't need to be perfectly straight to be brutally strong and the obsession with being "level" is just a distraction from the fact that you probably just need to move more.

Stop listening to the people who treat the human body like a stack of bricks that will fall over if the wind blows the wrong way.

You are a biological masterpiece capable of incredible adaptation so stop worrying about your "alignment" and start building a body that can handle the chaos of the real world.

11/01/2026

Your hips are out of alignment.

Your pelvis is rotated.
One leg is longer than the other.

Absolute nonsense.

See this all the time. People come into the clinic terrified because someone told them they’re crooked like a house with a bad foundation.

They think they need to be put back in or realigned before they can move.

Nope.

The idea that your body has to be perfectly symmetrical to be pain-free is a myth that won't die. Research shows no clear link between spinal curves or misalignments and the pain you feel.

Your body isn't a stack of Jenga blocks. It’s a living, breathing, adapting system.

Rotated hips or uneven shoulders are usually just normal human variations. Most people without any pain have these same imperfections on their scans. They are wrinkles on the inside, not signs of damage.

Even leg length differences are normal. Up to 90% of people have legs that aren't the same length, and most of them never get back pain because of it.

The real danger is the nocebo effect. When a pro tells you you're out of alignment, it makes you feel fragile. You stop moving, you get stiff, and your nervous system goes on high alert. That belief actually increases your pain.

Stop chasing perfect posture. There is no such thing. Pain usually comes from staying in one spot for too long, not from being crooked.

The best posture is your next posture.

You aren't broken and you don't need fixing. You need to build load capacity and confidence. Move more, worry less about the alignment bs, and trust that your body is strong enough to handle life.

05/01/2026

Pain here?

Just smash it with a lacrosse ball till it goes away....
..and then inevitable comes back again even worse a few hours later..

Just do this until eventually enough time passes and it heals anyway

But it some cases it might linger or even get worse. That's because it might be your neck, not your upper back.

See this many times, the patient comes into clinic and they want that area smashed with a hammer.

The reason your neck can cause pain there is that is a common referral pattern from the lower neck, like from the C5-C7 facet joints (joints that help your spine move) or nerve roots.

(there's a bunch of referral patterns, this is just one example, and they can also be random and not textbook)

If movements like looking up intensify the pain in between your shoulder blades or shoulder area, might be the neck.

But a lot of people have both shoulder and neck issues going on at the same time because they are so heavily linked via nerves, fascia etc...

So it could be both. It's good to know so you can be targeted. Same way neck treatment can make the shoulder feel better.

Neck issue? Don't neglect the shoulder

Shoulder? Don't neglect the neck!

The second one is generally more common.


That's why I generally get people to work on both the neck and shoulder when they have a complaint in either.

20/12/2025

Do you need surgery for a rotator cuff tear?

Not always!

If you have good rehab, You can function well, even with a full thickness tear.

I have large tears in both of my cuffs among other things. I still can do a lot of stuff. Mine were traumatic too, the worst kind.

I can handstand, punch, wrestle etc... as long as I keep it in shape.

The reason you can still function well is partly because our rotator cuff has a thick, cable like band of tissue (the rotator cable) that acts like the main cable of a suspension bridge.

The thinner tissue (the crescent) is often what tears. As long as the "cable" and your muscles work well, they can "suspend" the load, bypassing the tear entirely.

By rerouting force through this cable system, the shoulder remains strong and functional even when the physical blueprint shows a significant hole.

Stress shielding provides the pathway, as you push, the force travels through the thick rotator cable, "shielding" the area where your tear is.

On top of that, other muscles use force coupling to reinforce the shoulder.

Because the crescent is so well "shielded" and doesn't have to do any work, it eventually becomes thin and weak (this is Wolff’s Law, if you don't use it, you lose it).

Even if that thinned out tissue (the crescent) finally separates or tears, the arch is still standing.

This is why people have "tears" on MRIs without ever feeling an injury, the cable was doing the work.

Here's something very interesting:

The MOON Shoulder Group (Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network) study : In large studies of atraumatic full thickness tears, 75% of patients avoided surgery effectively through physical therapy alone. They found that the severity of the tear (size/retraction) did not predict who would fail rehab, patient expectations did.

Meaning, if the patient expected it to fail, it was more likely. This highlights the strong power of belief in rehab.

Listen to that again. Beliefs mattered more than tear size. This is a crucial part of rehab and why it's not always just a case of - do mobility, or, just get stronger.

01/09/2025

2 lessons I learned from 4 traumatic shoulder injuries that bothered me for almost ten years

1 . Time - some times it takes time. I kept re injuring. So left one first. Got better: then right one. Got better, then left again’! And right again
Second time left lingering effects. So progress was slowed. But given time the pain reduced greatly.

2. Consistency with rehab.
Being consistent encourages the cellular changes and nervous system adaptations you need.

Slow and steady wins the race: you need a manageable program that you can progress infinitely if need be.

13/06/2025

Muscle imbalances aren’t dysfunctions.
They reflect past load, pain, or habit.
Your nervous system moves the way it trusts.
That won’t always be symmetrical, and it doesn’t need to be.
You can have a dominant side and still adapt, perform, and stay pain-free.

It only becomes a problem when someone tells you it is.
When rehab shifts from building capacity to correcting patterns that were never broken.

Pain isn’t proof of imbalance.
It’s a sign the system feels threatened.
Your job isn’t to make things equal.
It’s to make them resilient.

Dan

11/06/2025

Rehab is a cult. Most systems aren’t fixing you, they’re breaking you.
Let me explain:

You get injured. You feel pain.
Naturally, you want answers. So you turn to a rehab “system.”
They tell you:

“You have a dysfunction.”
“Your posture is wrong.”
“You’re broken.”

You start to feel better.
But only as long as you follow the system.
Now you’re scared to move “wrong.”
You’ve labeled yourself.
You’re fragile, cautious, hesitant.

Any new pain? It’s your fault.
“You didn’t follow the system.”
“You’re damaging your spine.”
“You moved the wrong way.”
This isn’t rehab. This is a cult.

These systems don’t make you resilient.

They make you dependent.
Fear becomes the product.
Insecurity becomes the business model.

I don’t do systems. I don’t do coping.
I build resilience.
I give people the truth, even if it pi**es them off.
And the ones who listen?
They get their life back.

One patient couldn’t play with his kids for 3 years.
He was told his back was “unstable.”
After 8 weeks with me, he’s lifting, sprinting, and play wrestling on the floor like a beast.

This industry is full of frauds.
Most are just projecting their own fear and fragility.
They sell the system because they don’t trust their own body either.

If this offended you, good.
Ask yourself why.
I don’t coddle people.
I don’t sell fear.
I destroy it.

If you’re injured and confused, comment or DM me.
I’ll walk you through what’s real.
And I won’t charge you for bu****it you don’t need.

10/06/2025

Your shoulder isn’t fragile. Your brain is.

You have a movement you’re scared of, a pain you rehearsed,
and some rehab guru feeding your fear because it keeps you coming back.

They’ll tell you:

“Avoid overhead work”

“Never go past 90°”

“Scapula must move perfectly”

“Stability comes before strength”

Shut the f**k up.

None of that builds resilience.

You don’t need perfect mechanics. You need tolerance.

Want strong shoulders?

Hang heavy

Press hard

Expose it to chaos

Stop tiptoeing around pain like it’s sacred

Pain ≠ damage

10/06/2025

Why You Need to Fuel Properly to Recover from Injury

I've made this mistake too many times. Training 3-4 hours a day but – body aching when I try to sleep. Joints feeling stiff and inflamed on waking. Training making me feel worse. Injuries flaring up.

I realized I wasn't eating anywhere near enough protein and carbs. When it comes to injury rehab, you need adequate nutrients for repair. If you are constantly in a catabolic state, your body will use up vital amino acids for energy that should be going to rebuild soft tissues like muscles, ligaments, bones, cartilage, and tendons.

Protein and Carb Intake Need to Be on Point
Protein: Fighters need to aim for 1.6–2.2 g per kg/day protein. Some may even suggest higher, such as 3 grams per kg, for example, after surgery or during weight cutting.

Collagen (the main structural protein in tendons/ligaments) is built from amino acids like glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. Low protein diets impair extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, slowing the healing of these connective tissues.

Carbohydrates: Carbs need to be adequate. Carbs drive bone formation; low carbs for too long will negatively impact bone health. If you're doing a high-impact sport, then this is crucial to avoid.

Inadequate carb/glucose negatively affects synovial fluid production and cartilage synthesis. This isn't going to hurt immediately, but over months and years, it's not great.

Muscles with adequate glycogen stores are better able to sustain force production, control movements, and absorb eccentric loads (muscle lengthening under tension, i.e., landing from jumps). This means if your muscles are constantly glycogen depleted, they won't be absorbing forces as well. Glycogen = high-intensity nervous system fuel.

Supplements?
Don't rely on them too much, but some that show evidence are:

Creatine: May aid muscle and injury recovery.
Omega-3: Some evidence for inflammation attenuation, and they have been shown to enhance collagen formation in tendons and ligaments.
Vitamin D: Supports bone and muscle health. Deficiency is common. Maintaining blood levels >30 ng/mL may prevent stress fractures. Best way to get is sunlight.
Consuming 15 g gelatin or hydrolyzed collagen + 50 mg vitamin C 30–60 minutes before loading exercises may stimulate collagen synthesis in tendons/ligaments.
Key Takeaway
These are just general guidelines. The main takeaway is to keep it anabolic, high protein and carbs, when training. We want to avoid catabolism.

It should all be very individualized. No single plan fits all; it should be tailored based on injury type, severity, athlete weight history, and training.

P.S. No, you won't be doing damage to your joints after a few underfed sessions. This is something to consider after injury and over longer periods.

11/02/2024

06/02/2024

Main Types of Hernias

Hernias are characterised by their location and cause of development.

04/02/2024

What is a Hernia?

Hernias are a common medical condition where part of an organ, often the bowel or peritoneum (a membrane that supports your abdominal organs, nerves and blood vessels), pushes through a gap in the abdominal wall.

This results in a protruding pouch, known as the hernia or hernial sac, which can often be seen or felt from the outside.

In some cases there is no visible bulge.

It will depend on the location of the hernia.

So what causes them?

Here are some risk factors for abdominal hernias -

- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Previous surgery or trauma
- Family history
- Smoking

Other factors such as persistent coughing or sneezing, diarrhea or constipation, and lifting heavy objects can increase the risk in certain individuals.

The genetic basis of abdominal hernias, particularly inguinal hernias, has been studied and there is evidence to suggest that genetic factors contribute to their risk.

Smoking is also a risk factor possibly due to abnormal tissue metabolism usually seen in smokers. Lung disease and or persistent coughing may also not help smokers in this regard.

Obviously don't be over worried about sneezing and other normal things.

As with all injuries, sometimes things just happen, however it shouldn't put you off lifting heavy.

Keeping your core strong and making sure when you return to training from long breaks you adhere to porgressive overload should be a no-brainer.

At the end of the day even if you have an iron core it can still happen. These things happen, that's life.