🐛The Centipede’s Dilemma: How Overthinking Movement is Making Us Fragile
There’s a parable about a centipede who walked with ease — until a frog asked which leg moved first. The centipede stopped to think… and tripped over itself.
That’s what happens when we overthink what should come naturally.
In rehab, we’ve handed out too many movement rules:
“Don’t twist.”
“Always brace your core.”
“Sit with perfect posture.”
We meant well. But too often, these rules replace trust with fear.
Instead of restoring confidence, we’ve created fragility.
The nervous system doesn’t need a checklist to move.
It needs permission. Safety. Options.
When we stop micromanaging movement and start exploring it, healing becomes possible — not because we “fixed” the body, but because we stopped interrupting it.
Let’s free the centipede.