Anatomy in Motion (AiM) is the brainchild of Gary Ward; focusing on the relationship between movement dysfunction and pain.

Throughout our lives, bodies through go through a lot – this includes, but not limited to, injuries, surgeries, our posture or lack of movement (i.e. being in one position regularly for significant parts of the day). This leads to our bodies making adaptations by either restricting movement in one part of our body and compensating by making another part move too much, or by preventing us from doing a certain movement altogether. Over time this new movement, or lack of it, becomes the norm and we don’t even realise we have changed. Pain is usually caused by a joint or tissue being forced to move in a way it does want to or being overworked (due to something else not working properly). This is why treating just the area of pain does not usually relieve the pain long term.

AiM focuses on looking at an individual’s injury history (this includes traumas and surgeries) and assessing each joint’s movement. With this information it then looks at re-teaching the body to move better and thereby getting over-worked joints and tissues to relax and joints and tissues that weren’t working properly, to start working harder/better.

But where AiM really differentiates itself from other courses is its focus on the feet and there is a good reason for this. The spinal column only has 33 bones (24 that are movable). In contrast, each foot has 26 bones and 33 joints. With the exception of the ankle, all 32 joints articulate in all three planes of motion whenever we move. The bones in the feet equate to a quarter of all the bones in the body.

As the only part of the body to be in contact with the ground when we walk and stand, a small restriction in one joint can cause huge problems elsewhere. For example, a broken bone in your big toe when you were a child can cause issues with the neck. (The opposite is also true. Restrictions elsewhere in the body cause the feet to move differently and over time restrictions develop in the feet.)

To see the foot’s effect on the body try this – stand up and move your neck side to side and then rotate around and see if there are any restrictions/tightness. Now straighten out your big toes and then try the same movement and check if there are still restrictions. You might be surprised how such a small adjustment to your big toes can have an effect on your neck.

However, don’t mistake AiM as just a foot or gait training course. It uses a whole body approach and looks at integrating whole body movements. In essence, AiM is about re-teaching the body to move better and thereby giving the body more and usually better options to move. This in turn allows the body to recover/remove pain and perform at a higher level.

More information about Anatomy in Motion can be found on their website or in Gary Ward’s book What The Foot . Alternatively, if you have any other queries please feel free to contact me.

AiM being applied starts 30 minutes in

The post Anatomy in Motion (AiM) appeared first on Peak Fitness and Therapy (Peak FT).

FRC was created by world-renowned musculoskeletal and movement expert Dr Andreo Spina. It is a comprehensive joint/mobility training system based on scientific research. In the interview below, when asked what is FRC, Dr Andreo Spina replies:

“to build the prerequisite of movements required for people to accomplish whatever goals they have”

An example of this is a person who wants to do a front squat. They may have all the required mobility for a back squat and have been doing it for many years but this doesn’t mean they have the prerequisite to front squat. For example, the front squats require significantly more ankle dorsiflexion than a back squat.

Before front squatting, they would be advised to work on their ankle mobility. Otherwise forcing their body into what may look like a front squat puts a lot of pressure on the restricted joints as well as the joint above and below. This will usually lead to injuries.

Rather than training to do a movement, FRC focuses on improving joint mobility (initially in isolation and then in combination with other joints). Once someone has all the required mobility for a movement, then training is just about getting their joints to move at the right time.

The main goals of FRC are to simultaneously improve mobility, joint strength and body control. This is what makes it a brilliant tool for rehab and prehab, as well as improving performance. This is why it is used in all of our systems.

For more information, please visit the functional anatomy website www.functionalanatomyseminars.com or feel free to contact us with your queries

The post Functional Range Conditioning (FRC) appeared first on Peak Fitness and Therapy (Peak FT).

So how do I differentiate between mobility and flexibility?

Flexibility is the ability to passively achieve a range of motion (without activating your muscles) using an external load. This external load can be gravity, someone else moving the joints or pulling/pushing yourself into a certain position (e.g. using your arm to pull yourself leg towards you to improve hamstring flexibility).

Mobility on the other hand requires you to actively achieve a range of motion. This requires motor control/strength. So for any maths nerds like me:

Flexibility = Passive Range of Motion

Mobility = Active Range of Motion

So

Mobility = Flexibility + Motor Control/Strength

Why Is Mobility So Important?

There are two main reasons – injury prevention/rehab and improved performance.

It was thought that improving someone’s flexibility would make them less prone to injury. However recent studies have confirmed this is not the case and may actually increase the chances of getting injured.

An example of this would be a footballer who regularly stretches their groin muscles to improve flexibility. But if during a match they go for a tackle and their leg goes into an outstretched position, they will have no control in this position. This will mean they are susceptible to injuries.

However if they train on improving their mobility, should their leg go into a stretch position, they have the ability to control the movement and have some strength to reduce the chance of getting injured.

Also, improving mobility can improve performance. In order to produce maximum performance, a stable base is required. But a stable base can only be created if the athlete has all of the required joint mobility.

How to Improve Mobility?

One way this can be done is by initially stretching a muscle and then doing isometrics in the stretched position (isometrics are a type of strength training in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during muscle contraction).

For example, after doing a calf stretch against a wall, trying pushing the sole of your foot into the wall gradually increasing the pressure without your body moving. This will improve motor control and strength at the end ranges.

A foam roller can also be used to improve mobility however foam rolling on its own has the same fault as stretching. There is no motor control/strength component to it. However, again this can easily be fixed with some end range isometrics.

Due to the benefits of increasing mobility, it is advised that everyone spend some time every day trying to improve their mobility.

Reference

Shrier I – Stretching before exercise does not reduce the risk of local muscle injury: a critical review of the clinical and basic science literature (1999)

The post Mobility vs Flexibility appeared first on Peak Fitness and Therapy (Peak FT).