Exercise from the Inside Out
Often times in Physiotherapy, we see a lot of cheaters. Cheaters are individuals who use the wrong muscles to complete an exercise or task. This is because the body has the tendency to ‘like to cheat’, in other words the body will automatically carry out the activity the easiest way. In physiotherapy we call them compensatory patterns.
These patterns are usually the result of repetition or trauma. An example would be forward head posture with rounded shoulders and back that is often seen with individuals who work with computers. These faulty patterns result in certain muscles becoming lengthened and weak and the opposite muscles become short and tight. In the example above, the back muscles are weak and lengthened and the chest muscles are tight and over worked. In your physiotherapy treatments, we will help you identify and recognize your body’s ways of cheating, modify and correct it.
Current literature has also identified the need for muscular control of movement patterns, not just flexibility or strength. If the body can move efficiently with optimal movement patterns, it will be more able to generate strength and be more resistant to injury. In physiotherapy we like to take it back to the basics, especially after an injury where the muscles can go “quiet” or joints were immobilized. This means working on proprioception which is the body’s awareness of where it is in space. Every movement we make is part of a feedback loop from joint, ligament and muscle sensors to the brain. This is why in physio we love repetition. We break down functional activities; we want every movement to be done correctly. Over time, with repetitive movements the brain learns and when required can correctly recreate the action accurately. Practice makes permanent, so it is imperative we are not practicing with faulty movement patterns.
One of my favourite things to focus on with clients as a Kinesiologist is educating them on our core stabilizers, the muscles individuals tend not to focus on or don’t even know exist. When I’m at the gym I see a lot of focus on strengthening the “sexy” muscles like the biceps, chest, deltoids, rectus abdominus, traps and so on. Well, what about the deep stabilizer muscles that need to be recruited and activated during our everyday tasks? It’s these important muscles that are going to prevent injuries and faulty movement patterns. These are muscles like the transverse abdominis, multifidus, gluteus medius, the rotator cuff muscles etc. In physiotherapy we will teach you how to recruit and activate these deep muscles. I promise you there is a method to our madness of starting patients off with exercises that may seem basic but I challenge you to do them because if done correctly, they are a lot more difficult than they seem.
I hope my blog has triggered a new way of analyzing the exercises you may partake in on your own. Don’t forget to activate and strengthen those deep muscles that individuals tend to forget about. In Physio we love the “little guys” the muscles that help support us, keep us strong and prevent injuries. Contact the clinic if you would like to learn how to effectively exercise!
Karen Evers R.Kin