SESSION #207 UNDERSTANDING FUNCTION FROM THE GROUND UP Greg Roskopf, MA Owner/developer of Muscle Activation Techniques PRESCRIBING EXERCISE AS A COMPONENT OF HEALTH: PEOPLE ARE COMING TO US TO GET HEALTHY! CONSIDER MUSCLE FUNCTION Consider all associated muscles of the lower leg Any muscle that attaches to the tibia or fibula Indirectly impacts knee joint function Consider the foot Consider all associated muscles of the thigh and hip Any muscle that attaches to the femur, ilium or sacrum Indirectly impacts knee joint function Consider the trunk THE DYNAMIC KNEE JOINT The Foot, the ankle, the knee, and the hip are all inter-related Abnormal motion or stability at one joint can negatively affect motion at joints both above and below This integrated system is only as good as the function of its isolated parts
PHYSICAL ASSESSMENTS Why do we perform assessments? What information do we expect to gather? Are we going to use the information in our exercise prescription? Is the correction protocol based? We Must Determine The Physical Capabilities Of Each Client Prior to prescribing ANY exercise program: You must properly assess their physical capabilities How do you know???? Proper assessments will dictate each clients physical capabilities I don t care what you can do I want to know what you can t do We must have some information that tells us where to start with each client Proper assessment allows for efficient preparation and exercise prescription Postural Assessments Structural -vs- Muscular Deviations Structural Deviations: Can not change through exercise Must consider role of muscles that are placed at mechanical disadvantage ie. Knee valgus (Q-angle)***
Muscular Deviations: Tightness -vs- Weakness Lordosis/Kyphosis» Consider influences from above and below THE DYNAMIC EVALUATIONS Dynamic Evaluations are a continuation of the static (postural) evaluation Gait Analysis Functional Analysis Overhead squat Functional threshold testing 1 leg & 2 leg squat GOAL: TO IMPROVE FUNCTION HUMAN MECHANICS 101 All joints are interrelated All movement is based upon the concepts of pronation and supination Pronation and supination occur at each joint INTERRELATIONSHIP OF EACH JOINT DEFINED BY PRONATION AND SUPINATION
Must Have A Follow-up Approach To Our Subjective Evaluations What we think we see -vs- what really is!! Need to appreciate the integrated system We must confirm what we think that we know Any Isolated weakness can lead to dysfunction throughout the body Only as strong as weakest link I don t care what you can do.. We must differentiate between the cause and the symptom Ie. Forward shoulder caused by foot pronating This Integrated system is only as good as the function of its isolated parts!!! What Are We Actually Assessing? Muscle Tightness as an indicator of Muscle Weakness The Body s Ability to Tolerate Force!! Short term and long term Tightness as a protective mechanism Muscles move bones!!
The Foundation To MAT Muscle Tightness is Secondary To Muscle Weakness.All based on principles of Reciprocal Inhibition Reciprocal Inhibition Muscle Contractile Efficiency The inability of a muscle to fully shorten is concomitant with the inability for opposing muscles to fully lengthen This inability to fully lengthen is commonly referred to as tightness The sensation of tightness would therefore be correlated to the loss of the opposing muscles ability to efficiently contract, which is termed weakness ROM Exam Becomes The Indicator The ROM exam tells us what muscles are potentially weak Any place you see a limitation in ROM, tells you that one or more of the muscles that cross that axis is potentially weak What muscles cannot shorten? A representation of instability What is the body protecting from? We are only as strong as our weakest link
ISOLATION -VS- INTEGRATION A LOOK AT THE FOOT 26 bones (28) and 55 articulations: Two Main Functions Foot dissipates ground reactive forces associated with heel strike and becomes a mobile adaptor to adapt to abnormal terrain Foot becomes a rigid lever in order to effectively transfer bodyweight from rearfoot to forefoot after heel lift occurs Structure dictates Function and Function dictates Structure: All occurs due to a complex balance of interactions between the articulations and their supporting soft tissues PRACTICAL APPLICATION Weight-Bearing Assessment Consider The impact of Stability At the Foot Standing Rotation Pronation Supination 1-Leg Heal Raise 1-leg Squat: Valgus 1-leg Squat: Varus
Prepared by: Greg Roskopf, MA Muscle Activation Techniques 5555 DTC Pkwy Ste. C-3300 Greenwood Village, CO 80111 www.muscleactivation.com (303)745-4270 groskopf@muscleactivation.com