Biomechanics/ROM & Loss of ROM

The Body is a very adaptable organism, and this can be both a good thing and a bad thing. It can be a bad thing if one chronically puts the joints through partial, repetitive, shortened or fixed Range of Motion (ROM) Exercises and/or Movements on a Daily basis. A perfect example of this can be seen in adults who spend a great amount of time driving. I have seen MANY adults, myself included, who have a slightly externally rotated Right leg. How does this happen? Well, if you drive to and from work 5+ days per week, and you have a fairly long commute there is a good chance that over the course of several years your right foot/leg will adapt to being slightly externally rotated due to having your foot placed on or near the Accelerator.

Another example can be seen in people who have desk jobs, sit all day and/or work at computers. In this case people often have a slightly Kyphotic Thoracic Spine, Internally rotated Humerus (Gleno-Humeral Joint), and often lose their natural Lordotic curve in their Lumbar Spine because when people sit often their lower and upper back rounds, and their shoulders are internally rotated, as are mine as I type this post..... Sitting all day can cause you to have tight hip flexors, AND lengthened lumbar extensors as well and this combination is exceptionally problematic if not addressed or corrected.

As far as the Knee goes, people who frequently use an Elliptical type cardio machine with no Elevated Cross Ramp option, run or walk on a Treadmill for 30-60+min per day (as many cardio Kings and Queens do at your average commercial gym) AND/OR who are scared beyond recognition to Squat to 90 degrees or below, are in essence shortening his or her Quadriceps muscles because they are never taking the knee joint though a ROM greater than 15-20 Degrees under load. If you perform a partial repetitive motion on a chronic basis it is a good way to lose optimal ROM. The irony about this is that MANY people are led to believe that these partial ROM cardio modes of exercise are "safer" for the knee because it does not "hurt" when they do it. Unfortunately, that is because they are only utilizing a limited ROM in the knee joint thereby shortening the Quadriceps. While these things may not hurt when they DO cardio on an Elliptical with no cross ramp, or walk on a Treadmill with minimal knee flexion, their knees scream in pain if they were do perform a Body Weight Squat going down to at least 90 Degrees flexion. WHY? Because your body will adapt to whatever Bio mechanical ROM and/or Chronic Postural position that you place it in on a daily basis. If you shorten your Quad or other muscles, then it is likely that performing a Full ROM or Optimal ROM will cause some pain or discomfort. It's really not "Rocket Science" it is very much common sense if you critically analyze it...

I have personally been guilty of over correcting Bio mechanical ROM and/or Postural Alignment at least twice in my fitness career. My first experience was when I was certified by an organization that really overemphasized "Core" and Abdominal work and ignorantly cringed at any sort of lordotic extension as if it was absolute Taboo. How did I do it? Well I was instructed to keep a "neutral lumbar spine" (which was really more straight than neutral) and "draw in" my Transverse abdominal muscle (TVA) while performing EVERY SINGLE EXERCISE THAT I DID, whether it was Bench Press, Squats, Performing Myofascial Release on a Foam Roller, whatever. I never had so much back pain in my life, as my abs and anterior "core" muscles were so damn fired up from being constantly contracted it was ridiculous! I ended up losing my natural Lumbar curve which was not good because the spine has a Natural Anterior/Posterior curve which serves the purpose of acting like a spring so when you load it, it flexes like a shock absorber to yield to forces placed on the body. By losing my normal Lumbar curve, my spine would abnormally flex laterally when forces were placed on it such as doing a Squat , Push Press, Overhead Press, etc. This would cause my Quadratus Lumborum to go into Spasm frequently, and one time I really jacked up my back when I attempted to do Hang Clean and Press with 275 for 5 reps, on the 4th rep I felt my Lumbar spine slip laterally and I was in intense pain. This happened NOT because I was doing heavy Olympic Lifts, but because I had chronically placed my spine in a position where it lost it's normal curve, and it was unable to do its job as a shock absorber.

The second time I experienced a Bio mechanical issue due to over correction, OR less than optimal habitual movement patterns, was when I overtrained Shoulder External Rotation to a point where I lost Shoulder Internal Rotation. If you perform an Upright Row, when you complete the movement and the bar is lifted to neck height, this would be an example of putting the shoulder in internal rotation. The Upright Row has been given such a bad rap that you would think it was Convicted of some sort of Felony Criminal act. Why? Because if you lack the ability to place your shoulder into Internal Rotation (such as when performing an Upright Row) it may hurt like hell to perform an Upright Row, or your shoulder may "pop" and "crack" leading MANY Physical Therapists, Orthopedic Doctors, as well as Personal Trainers to label the Upright Row Exercise as a very bad exercise for shoulder health, and nothing could be further from the truth. Additionally, lack of flexibility in internal rotation at the shoulder joint can be a major reason as to why people suffer shoulder impingement in the Acromio-clavicular joint. Ironically to many, I actually used the Upright Row to Rehabilitate my shoulder problem. In addition to some Myofascial work on the shoulder external rotators, and some stretching techniques, the Upright Row exercise helped me to regain lost motion in my shoulder joint. The same could be said for the Full Squat, another exercise given a sentence of "Life in Prison" with no chance of parole.......

Many in the Fitness industry LOVE to place negative labels on certain exercises and movements (Yes I did myself regarding the use of Machines, but I think I validated my point). Unfortunately this is really due to misinformation, lack of experience, and the inability to critically analyze Optimal ROM for the body's joints, etc. I have learned from experience that there is MUCH misinformation in the Fitness Industry, and focusing on attaining complete and optimal ROM and/or Posture throughout the body is THE BEST way to ensure pain free activity and motion. It is not always the exercise itself that causes pain, but more likely the loss of optimal ROM, and therefore the goal should be to strive to maintain a balanced ROM throughout the body.