As rehab and performance professionals, we are in the field of creating change.
However, we often don’t think ahead enough to consider what impact change will have. Our ability to think ahead is what makes us humans such a brilliant species compared to others. I often see practitioners and other professionals thinking one step at a time. In my mind, what we do is like a game of chess – we need to be thinking 3 moves ahead at all times. Yet, we don’t consider what impact our changes will have on ciients.
For example, what are the secondary consequences of:
- Increasing flexibility
- Building muscle mass
- Reducing neural tone
- Running faster
Solving one problem will most often lead to another
Second-order thinking is simply foreseeing the long-term effects of our decisions.
For example, I recently had a client who came to me with low back pain. They had seen another practitioner who had done some hands-on tissue work on her back which gave them relief. An example of first-order thinking. Although the tissue work was well intended, it had a poor secondary consequence. The following day, this person woke up feeling worse. The challenge with second-order thinking is that, like a game of chess, we need to consider the effects that can’t be seen in the moment. The good news: this person is now pain-free and back to their activities.
To use second-order thinking, always ask “and then what?”
If you want to get better at second-order thinking, always ask “and then what?”
When you set out to create change with a client, think of the long-term effects. Making someone sprint faster will increase their risk of hamstring injury. So as you’re building out your plan to increase sprint speed, think about what effect that will have in 2 months or 2 years. “They will run faster”. “And then what?”. “They will be at a higher risk of hamstring injury”. So in order to make someone sprint faster, you must also manage their risk of hamstring injury.
Think things through before you take action
Humans are the most advanced species on the planet in part because of our ability to think ahead in time.
Few people use that ability when it comes to rehab and performance. Second-order thinking is tough. But if you can think ahead towards the unintended consequences of your actions, you will set yourself apart from others in the field.