Why we do that thing we do!

[Guest]

by Mike Napierala, PT, SCS, CSCS, FAFS

If you have been a patient at Peak Performance Physical Therapy, you have probably heard us explain and demonstrate the use of 3 planes of motion.

Our movement patterns can be broken down into 3 directions.  The motions are:

1. Sagittal plane or forwards and back.

2. Frontal plane or side to side.

3. Transverse plane or rotational movement.

Ever wonder why we give you these zany-looking exercises or combination patterns instead of simple leg extensions?

Even when you are running straight forward, your body still has some sway side to side (frontal plane) as you transfer weight from one side to the other. There is also rotational motion as you strike the outside of your heel at landing and your leg and pelvis rolls in a few degrees to dissipate the forces from impact.

If this extra motion is present with straight forward running, imagine how much frontal (side to side) and transverse (rotational) motion is needed for cutting , changing directions, or sport activities! This can range from running, playing soccer, walking the golf course and playing, to lifting and carrying your laundry basket.

Let’s look at an example of an activity that we all do: walking.

It looks like this simple activity is all about going forward and backwards, doesn’t it?  If we look from a new perspective, such as a view from overhead looking straight down, we would see the arms swing forward and back. 

On a closer look, we would see a sway side to side and, more importantly, a twisting of the trunk and pelvis to accomplish this.

Try standing up and walking briskly with your arms swinging. Go ahead and do it now!

Now try to walk without moving into rotation by holding your pelvis still with your hands as you try to walk. A little harder to do, isn’t it? Most of you will notice that taking out the normal pelvic rotation will inhibit your ability to walk normally, or quickly!  Now you get the idea. Often what is going on is more than it appears! That’s what we are here for.

Our philosophy at PEAK is that the frontal and transverse motions, even though smaller in amount, may have a huge impact on our ability to handle all motions! You can have too much OR too little motion at a joint and it is still a dilemma for your body on how to handle those forces and keep your joints from wearing and tearing.

Here at PEAK, we do use exercises such as lunges, step downs, and/or ups, but usually we will tweak these with additional reaches diagonally or sideways.  We will also add combination patterns with one direction dominant such as side lunges, while the arms reach either forward/backwards or diagonally.  The combination patterns mimic real life as closely as possible. We are incorporating quality motion and strengthening within each pattern.

This helps by either giving you more of the motion that you lack, or trying to help you control motion that is too much at the wrong time.

So, if it looks like soup and tastes like soup it probably is soup, right?

That’s how we feel with exercise. If it looks like a portion of your sport or activity and feels like a portion of your activity, and you are doing the exercise correctly, it will get you back to your activity quicker!

Simply put, we do what we do because we believe it is the best for you!