How is root-cause analysis done?

If you’ve ever had a recurring injury, chronic fatigue, gut issues, or hormonal chaos, you’ve probably experienced this cycle:

• You tell your story.
• They treat the surface.
• You feel better — temporarily.
• Then… it all comes back.

Welcome to the band-aid approach.

At YFS (Your Form Sux), we do things differently. We don’t just treat the symptom — we hunt down why it’s happening in the first place. That’s called root-cause analysis — and it’s the foundation of functional rehab and functional medicine.

So how do we actually do it? What does “finding the root” look like in real life?

First: What Is Root-Cause Analysis?

Root-cause analysis is a systematic process of identifying the underlying issue that’s driving your symptoms — whether it’s pain, fatigue, hormone imbalance, poor digestion, or inconsistent performance.

Instead of asking:

“What can we do to reduce your pain?”

We ask:

“Why is your body creating this pain in the first place?”
“What system broke down that led to this issue?”
“What are we missing that others overlooked?”

Symptoms are signals. Root-cause analysis is how we decode the signal, trace it to its source, and build a long-term solution.

Step 1: Listen — Deeply and Without Assumptions

This starts with a detailed intake. Not just a quick Q&A. We look at:

• Your history (injuries, surgeries, illnesses, stressors)
• Your current lifestyle (sleep, diet, movement, recovery, habits)
• Your performance patterns (when things feel “off,” what triggers pain or crashes)
• Your symptoms — but also what you’ve already tried

We want to understand your whole story — because the root cause might live in a totally different system than where the symptom is showing up.

Step 2: Assess — Move, Test, Measure

Once we understand your story, we dive into a comprehensive assessment.

Depending on your issue, this may include:

For movement or injury:

• Movement screening and biomechanical testing
• Joint-by-joint mobility analysis
• Muscle firing sequence tests
• Form analysis during lifts or functional movement
• Compensation pattern tracking

For functional health:

• Lab work (blood, saliva, urine, stool)
• Hormone mapping (e.g., DUTCH testing)
• Gut health testing
• Inflammation, nutrient, and detox pathway assessments
• Blood sugar and adrenal function reviews

No guesswork. We get data — and match it to your lived experience.

Step 3: Map the Connections — Not Just the Problem

This is the part most clinics skip: systems thinking.

Your pain might not be “just” in your knee — it could be coming from poor hip stability, a locked-up ankle, or a core that’s not activating post-birth.

Your fatigue might not be “just” stress — it could be tied to low cortisol, thyroid issues, or poor nutrient absorption from gut dysfunction.

At YFS, we ask:

• What’s upstream of the problem?
• What’s compensating for what’s not working?
• How are your systems (musculoskeletal, digestive, endocrine, nervous) interacting — or misfiring?

We connect the dots so your solution sticks — not just relieves.

Step 4: Build a Targeted Plan

Here’s where everything comes together.
Root-cause analysis means we don’t give everyone the same rehab, supplement stack, or training protocol.

Instead, we build a plan that’s:

• Personalized (your body, your lifestyle, your goals)
• Progressive (it adapts as you heal and improve)
• Integrative (addressing movement, mindset, recovery, and systems health)
• Trackable (so we know what’s working and what needs adjusting)

Whether you’re recovering from an injury, balancing your hormones, or rebuilding after burnout — the plan is based on your root cause, not a cookie-cutter diagnosis.

Step 5: Re-Test and Re-Calibrate

Your body is dynamic. That’s why we don’t set-and-forget your protocol.

We re-test movement, labs, energy markers, strength, and other metrics regularly. Why? Because real healing isn’t linear — and recovery is a cycle, not a single fix.

Our job is to keep adjusting until we’ve not only resolved the root — but built a system that stays healthy, strong, and resilient for the long haul.

Why This Works (When Everything Else Didn’t)

Most approaches aim for symptom relief. That can help — in the short term.

But root-cause analysis is about restoring function.

We’re not just chasing pain or calming inflammation. We’re rebuilding systems — from how you move, to how you recover, to how your cells generate energy.

It’s the difference between putting out a fire and fixing the wiring that caused it.

Final Thought: Don’t Settle for Surface-Level Fixes

If your body’s been trying to tell you something — through pain, fatigue, burnout, or dysfunction — it’s time to stop silencing the alarm and start solving the problem.

At YFS, we don’t guess.
We don’t patch.
We dig deep, test smart, and help you finally understand your body — and how to make it work better than ever.

Think your pain, fatigue, or dysfunction has a deeper cause?
You’re probably right. Let’s find it — and fix it.

Book a root-cause assessment at YFS.
No fluff. No formulas. Just answers.