Truth In Function: Joint Strength and Stability Center

08/20/2026

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08/04/2026

Serving the community for over 12 years!

07/21/2026

07/19/2026

Coming soon! The short, visual, quick book is complete. A year in the making with nearly 20 years of experience involved. It’s been and will continue to be a lot of work, but I’m excited for it.

06/14/2026

12 years in business, serving this community!

It is hard to believe.

For 12 years, we have maintained the integrity of our original goal: to continually develop and grow in our understanding of deep biomechanics and the neuromuscular system, and how these play a role in the development—and resolution—of chronic pain, immobility, injury rehabilitation, and specific strength and muscular adaptations.

Like many things in life, this role in the community keeps you humble. The more you learn and experience, the more you realize how much there is still to learn, practice, and apply. The need for ongoing scientific research, education, mentorship, and a thorough understanding of how the systems of the human body operate is never-ending.

It has been a long road. The early struggles starting from scratch, to working through numerous road blocks along the way that could have easily stomped out a small business like us, major educational endeavors, and building relationships with trusted practitioners in the area trusting us with their patients. Getting through the difficulties we’ve encounters surely makes one feel like they must be doing good by God.

It began with a simple understanding: people who are struggling and not improving need us as specialists and practitioners to commit ourselves to knowing more. However, knowledge alone has little value if it cannot be applied. Skills must be continually developed, sharpened, and expanded while staying current with growing understanding in health science. Research beyond the session—specific to each individual's situation that may be struggling—is often required. That level of commitment only happens when genuine passion for helping people is present.
Truth In Function was built on that passion, and that passion continues to grow as we strive to become better for you. This is not to say that there are not other passionate health practitioners in our community, because there are plenty, and we appreciate your role in the improvement of the overall health in this community💪🏼.
The memory of the faces of the people we’ve encountered over the past 12 years is what keeps us going through out all of the challenges.

We are grateful for every single person who has trusted us with their mobility challenges, pain concerns, rehabilitation needs, and training goals. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your lifetime journey toward greater mobility, capability, and health.
We will continue to grow as specialists in our field while maintaining the highest standards possible in understanding how the human body functions—and, most importantly, how that knowledge can be applied in real time to create meaningful change.

We are also deeply grateful to the healthcare providers, coaches, trainers, and practitioners who have placed their trust in us with their patients and clients over the years. Your confidence in our work and your willingness to collaborate have allowed us to help more people than we ever could alone.

Most importantly, thank you to my family, friends, and support systems who have stood beside this through the challenges, sacrifices, and long hours that come with building something meaningful. Your encouragement and presence has made this journey possible.

Thank you all!
From the deepest part of my heart, thank you.

Dr. Jeff Tardiff, PhD, MS�Owner/Clinical Director�Truth In Function

06/09/2026

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06/08/2026

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04/26/2026

Chronic pain produces an inflammatory response within the region, igniting an inhibitory response to the muscles involved (Mukund & Subramaniam, 2019). The inhibitory response weakens the muscles’ capability to perform and create stability in the area while transforming type I muscle characteristics to those found in type IIb fibers (Mukund & Subramaniam, 2019; Pinto et al., 2020). The inhibitory effect from the inflammation will negatively impact the motor recruitment of the muscles, leading to a lack of stability of the joint while irritation from joint loading increases due to the nociceptor response that occurs when inflammation is present (Merkle et al., 2020; Russo et al., 2017).

Postural/joint control and stabilization stem from the overall response, and continued feedback of the muscle spindle and tonic activation of the type I muscle fibers (Gahmkhar & Kahlee, 2019; Sakai et al., 2022). The muscle availability and capability to respond and maintain a response to load or resistance through a constant communication occurring within the neuromuscular system due to afferent signaling from proprioceptors and efferent signaling from the central nervous system is known as tonus (Ganguly et al., 2021). Panjabi (1992) and Norris (1995) have both expressed the importance of muscle tone in the role of spinal stability, and decreasing or preventing chronic pain.

When pain and inflammation are present anywhere in the body, the inhibitory response on the muscles of the region may lead to compensation of different motor pathways when attempting to load or apply resistance to the region (Merkle et al., 2020). If this is occurring when attempting to treat the muscles of the region while performing resistance exercise, the targeted muscles may be non-respondent (Norris, 1995). A non-respondent muscle is a muscle that fails to respond to a light amount of resistance or force applied to the muscle testing position (Norris, 1995). Norris (1995) explains the importance of ensuring muscle response through testing the muscle’s response before applying isotonic resistance exercise. The muscle tone should be tested and strengthened prior to applying load to the muscle region in exercise as it is necessary for ensuring the preparedness of a muscle or muscles in the ex*****on of any movement or resisting of forces being applied for the purpose of creating adaptation in such muscles through exercise (Ganguly et al., 2021).

Learn more with Dr. Jeff Tardiff PhD, MS at Truth in Function

Call for your complimentary consultation/assessment 715-781-9741

03/27/2026

Stabilizing muscles vs. load or mobility muscles
- This is not a reality

“Stability muscles” are not separate of “force producing muscles”

ALL muscles have a duty in within the roles of stabilization
mobility
managing external load or force

In fact, the large the muscle, the more force it’s able to produce, and that means it is also responsible for stabilization of that force.

The difference is in muscle fiber characteristics. Stabilization is established through:
- Muscle responsiveness to the external force or activity demanded.
- Maintaining responsiveness through out the demanded duration and demanded range of motion within the activity or controlling of the external force.
- Appropriate capability to maintain the absorption and control of the external force.

If the capability to withstand the external forces involved is not met:
- The nervous system will then shut down the muscle responsiveness
- Stability will not be maintained
- The muscle will not be able to carry out the demanded activity

If the capability is met, but the capability is unable to sustain the forces for the duration of the required task:
- The nervous system will shut down responsiveness
- Muscle stability will not be present

Tonus Responsiveness, Availability, and Capability (TRAC) of each muscle working synergistically within a demanded task is required to ensure completion without:
pain
injury
long-term compensation

Dr. Jeff Tardiff PhD, MS

03/17/2026

TRAC — Tonus: Response • Availability • Capability™

Muscle tonus is the muscle’s capability to respond in contraction to an external force and the ability to maintain that response while controlling resistance throughout the demanded range of motion.

Muscle instability is the inability to do so.

There are three essential pillars of tonus: Response, Availability, and Capability.

All three pillars are required for the successful completion of any muscular activity—whether athletic performance, mobility, or simply maintaining posture against gravity.

If any of these three pillars within any muscle involved in a movement is absent, injury becomes likely, either immediately or through compensatory patterns that develop over time.

When a muscle cannot perform its role within any of these three pillars, other muscles must compensate in order to withstand the demands of the task. When compensation is no longer sufficient, passive structures—including ligaments, joint capsules, and connective tissues—begin to absorb the mechanical stress created by the external force.

Over time, this transfer of stress may contribute to chronic inflammatory conditions and structural breakdown.

Therefore, all three pillars—Response, Availability, and Capability—are required for completing any physical tasks safely and efficiently at any level of demand, while they are equally required for the effective rehabilitation of injured muscle and connective tissues surrounding the targeted joint.

The tonus of muscles, and/or of specific muscle positions, can be clinically measured, making muscular instability under particular demands measurable, predictable, and avoidable.

TRAC — Tonus: Response • Availability • Capability™
Dr. Jeff Tardiff, PhD, MS