“Move Well. Eat Well. Live Well.”

“Move Well.  Eat Well.  Live Well.”

That’s a phrase that I’ve been using for years in Health Classes that I lead.  For me, quality of life is the ‘big picture’ concept that I try to help improve in the people I see at the office.  And that first part—the “Move” part—is the most important. 

 

Of course, as a chiropractor, I’m mainly talking about chiropractic adjustments.  Restoring motion to the joints and muscles of the body through adjustments has profound benefits on pain levels and overall health.  But when it comes to “moving” it isn’t just about adjustments.  It’s about making your body move more efficiently, on a ‘biomechanical’ level.

 

A biomechanical chain—sometimes called the "kinematic chain" or "kinetic chain"—is a simple idea about a complex system. You already know that the hip bone is connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bone is connected to the leg bone, the leg bone is connected to the ankle bone, and the ankle bone is connected to the foot bone. Someone could even write a song about this—I know, they already have. This interconnectedness is the basis of how our bodies work, and it's about more than merely the bones that make up our skeleton. This biomechanical chain includes our muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, glands, nerves and much more.

The important thing to understand about the biomechanical chain is that if one link is broken, it will likely affect others in an adverse manner. The human body is brilliantly designed to compensate for these types of problems, but this compensation usually comes with a price as other parts of the body absorb additional or unusual stresses. For example, structural weakness, misalignment or asymmetries in the feet can trigger changes further up the body, particularly in the ankles, knees, hips, back and neck.  In fact, nearly everyone that I see at the office with a low back pain also has problems with one or both of their feet!  In addition, almost all neck pain issues originate in the upper back and shoulders.

There is a similar cause-and-effect relationship that can begin with just a single misaligned vertebra in the back. Resulting pain may cause the person to favor one leg over the other while walking, resulting in further distortion of the posture and greater misalignment, resulting in even more problems and pain.

The study of mechanics concerns itself with how matter reacts to forces, which can involve pressure and/or motion. We see this when someone uses a simple lever and fulcrum to lift a heavy object. Biomechanics merely takes these same simple principles and applies them to the body. The field of biomechanics includes both static (body at rest and in balance) and dynamic (body in motion) aspects.

By studying the structure of the body and the forces involved in staying at rest or being in motion, health care professionals can better understand sources of injury and teach improved ways to perform repetitive or even competitive actions. Greater understanding of the biomechanical chain can help improve sports performance, functional training, and strength and conditioning. It can also help with injury management, rehabilitation and even injury prevention.

Poor biomechanics can lead to a range of musculoskeletal problems. When the body must overcompensate for poor biomechanics, it has to work harder to produce the same effect. This leads to greater fatigue and pain. Even something as simple and seemingly low-stress as sitting at a computer desk can result in tension, stiffness and possible spasms in one or both arms, for example.

In addition to spotting structural problems in the biomechanical chain and providing adjustments, there are additional approaches for treatment. You also must do some work on your own in the form of exercise and stretching.  If you find yourself in one particular position or doing one particular movement repeatedly, then it’s important to exercise and stretch in other directions as well.  For example, if you enjoy running and walking, then a lot of your hip motion will be in a forward-and-back movement.  So, it’s important to work it in rotation and side to side as well.  God designed us to make all the movements—to run, walk, crawl, climb, push, and pull, just to name a few.  Make sure you keep doing all of those different movements, at least once in a while!

Finally, last month was the Marji Gesick weekend in the Upper Peninsula.  It’s one of my favorite events all year, and there were at least 10 people that I know from my office, and it was wonderful to be up there helping them chase their goals.  Congrats to all of the participants, and if you want to know more about the event, or want to simply get healthier and move more…call the office or contact me directly!