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<ol>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b><i>Principle;</i></b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> meaning </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour or for a chain of reasoning.</span></li>
</ol>
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<h2><strong>Introduction </strong></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The discussion within this </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Juicemail</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is to better understand the importance of ‘intrinsic’ biomechanical principles and how they apply to the human body, human motion, movement, recurring injuries, symptoms and modern ailments. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">As practitioners of human movement, whether from a personal training, therapy or any other </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">unregulated</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> background, we are often lacking in the kind of MSK (musculoskeletal) skills training that our regulated peers (clinicians, allied healthcare professionals, GP’s, physiotherapists, osteopaths etc) are heavily trained in. Yet we are often expected to know about them by our clients, and some employers. In my opinion we should be given compulsory education in some MSK skills for assessing clients during consultations to benchmark and better understand our start point. However until this happens I will remain committed to offering them within our training programmes as an option for exceptionally great CPD’s, reputedly some of the best CPD’s in the industry!</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">This is why the intrinsic biomechanics principles are so revolutionary because the concept has never been offered before. We developed this education programme specifically for unregulated practitioners, but also as a great tool for regulated clinicians, for all the reasons we will describe here.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">The forward thinking that began over 30 year ago when we began our research is finally in demand. This is likely due to the recent health crisis and the recognition of how much movement practitioners can help, yet we have always been ill equipped. The principles of understanding intrinsic biomechanics really does offer a depth of understanding human anatomy and the application of movement programming through the use of evidence based assessment and intervention. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">The modern ailments that most of our clients complain of today require these skills to identify any biomechanical root causes of their symptoms. Our peers who evaluate them from a clinical perspective can often find no apparent </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">clinical diagnosis</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for their symptoms, thus resulting in disappointment in the ‘failure’ of the clinician. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">However ‘biomechanically’ there are, more often than not, lifestyle movement limitations that can be identified through the intrinsic biomechanical principles that demonstrate, and overtime prove, the root cause can in fact be coming from asymptomatic (non painful) areas of their body. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">A Biomechanics Coach is trained to work as part of a multidisciplinary team. They would be able to explain to their client that the clinician does not necessarily ‘fail’ but instead, through their ‘lack of a diagnosis’ OR the symptoms recurring, can confirm they are NOT clinical and are therefore the Biomechanics Coach is perfectly placed to offer a simple movement intervention like iMoveFreely.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">How great is that! Shall we dive in?</span>

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<h1><span style="font-weight: 400;">Principles of intrinsic biomechanics</span></h1>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Those of us who prescribe exercise need to understand biomechanics (both intrinsic and extrinsic), anatomy and physiology; but perhaps the least understood is the intrinsic biomechanical principles. Unfortunately without this critical area of study, movement cannot be truly understood - and if we do not understand movement, we cannot understand exercise and physical activity.</span>

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<h3><b>Principle one - Biomechanical assessment (or assessing movement)</b></h3>
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<h3><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Definition - An understanding of what ‘good’ movement is. </span></i></h3>
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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why is this important? </span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Having the ability to identify the quality of movement in each body part and subsystem is vital in being able to record links (kinetic chains) of influence. Unless we are assessing every joint and structure within our client’s body we might miss the root cause of their symptoms or movement problem. However everybody’s body is different and has a huge range of variables that affect their movement. This makes ‘measuring’ by comparison a challenge. This is why gaining a good understanding of anatomy and the ‘norms’ of joint ranges, of nerve mobility and of muscle flexibility is key to then learning how much leeway is acceptable through practising on as many bodies as possible.  </span>

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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">How is the principle recognised? </span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">An example of this could be demonstrated in a rotational motion / movement test of the thoracic spine. By limiting movement from all other joints (i.e. the client is seated to limit pelvic motion, shoulder position is fixed to limit scapular motion) we can then ‘measure’ degrees of rotation in either direction. The norms of each thoracic joint range added together &amp; measured in studies demonstrate an expected total range of at least 45 degrees to the right, purely from the thoracic spine, and the same to the left. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Once we have measured the number of degrees in our client we can then compare, not only the symmetry of the individual's rotation motion right to left, but also to the capacity that is evident compared to the ‘normal’ joint ranges of thoracic vertebrae. </span>

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<h2></h2>
<h3></h3>
<h3><b>Principle two - Analysis of results (of biomechanical assessment)</b></h3>
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<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Definition -</em> <em>The interpretation of those measurements</em> </span></h3>
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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why is this important?</span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Once the measurements have been taken, they need to be analysed and evaluated to allow for decision making. The system we have developed is to work through the body part by part, subsystem by subsystem in the safest, most evidence based and logical route possible. This highlights which body part or subsystem has an influence on another for true identification of the root causes of both movement issues and symptoms that may challenge our clinical peers. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">By using the evidence provided from the many years of research we can simply follow the ‘system’ for both accuracy and safety in application of an exercise /movement intervention. Providing us with a base of support in the application for the principles of intrinsic biomechanics.</span>

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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">How is the principle recognised?</span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">This principle can be recognised through the use of the resource known as the Links Man. A Biomechanics Coach is trained in how to present their findings by colouring the relevant boxes on the Links Man during their screening process. Then they will start by prescribing an intervention for the pelvic area since there is evidence to suggest 60% of dysfunction comes from the pelvis. (McDonald.R, 1991). By only prescribing an intervention for this area, irrelevant of the full results of the screen, we can re-screen the client immediately to see ‘what has changed’ after only performing a pelvic muscle energy technique for example.  </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">When the Biomechanics Coach is not only able to see but also show their client what has changed on their Links Man - commonly the thoracic spine will now rotate further, the shoulders will be able to retract more easily and the nerves can present with more mobility - this proves this key principle of screening, intervention and rescreening to prove the analysis rather than guess what works.</span>

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<img class=" wp-image-33435 aligncenter" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screenshot-2022-08-19-at-09.10.32-222x300.png" alt="" width="276" height="373" />
<h2></h2>
<h2></h2>
<h3><b>Principle three - </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Preparation &amp; Capacity </span></h3>
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<h3><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Definition - The initial phase of programming is to restore our clients capacity within the pelvis, spine and shoulder so they are level and moving freely for that individual.</span></em></h3>
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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why is this important?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Due to the modern ailments of our lifestyles today the evidence suggests that the body requires preparation for movement in advance of a strength programme. This </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">reprogramming </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">of the subsystems gives back capacity where compensations have occured. </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">This phase also allows the body to move more freely and with less pain while increasing confidence in movement for our client. Through repeated assessments it is possible to rule out, or confirm, each intervention's influence.  </span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">By following a proven evidence based system we can have a good baseline for initiating a training programme to prepare our clients body safely using low grade interventions. By giving their intrinsic biomechanics the ‘capacity’ for movement we can then reassess to identify which intervention influences which body part and substructure. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">This also increases tissue tolerance and client confidence, particularly if they are experiencing recurrent injuries, symptoms or poor movement and control. </span>

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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">How is the principle recognised?</span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Preparation and capacity are recognised once the Biomechanics Coach sees enough improvement in the pelvic, spine and shoulde area and they will know how to decide when to move their client on to the next phase. </span>

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<img class=" wp-image-33436 aligncenter" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screenshot-2022-08-19-at-09.11.55-300x215.png" alt="" width="374" height="268" />

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">This documentation of which intervention changes various parts of the integrated system shows the elimination of compensations proving the body is improving from the inside. It even offers great insight into what might make our client feel worse should the results degraded. An example of this might be a more positive (failed) screen when they have sore muscles from training, or their hormones change or even simply a day of gardening or a bad nights sleep.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span>

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<img class=" wp-image-33431 aligncenter" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IMAGE-5-300x168.png" alt="" width="389" height="218" />

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<h3><b>Principle four</b><b> - </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stability &amp; Control</span></h3>
<h3></h3>
<h3><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Definition -  The purpose of this principle is to give the spine its ability to stabilise and control the torso during daily movement only once the alignment and movement quality has been improved. </span></em></h3>
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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why is this important?</span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">This safe method of ‘core training’ reduces risk through a 3 step approach to periodising the trunk conditioning programme thus creating a reflex stiffening of the spine that is conditioned and appropriate to the requirement, at the right time and for as long as is required. </span>

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<ol>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Basic core progressions - here we teach the simplest neuromuscular progressions right up to the level of an elite athletes requirement.</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Isometric core ratios - based on McGills research, this step is all about evaluating and improving the strength ratios of each part of the core/ trunk.</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Functional stability - step 3 is having the ability to assess and improve our clients stablity and control while moving. </span></li>
</ol>
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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">How is the principle recognised?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">This principle is recognised by allowing time for evaluation and rescreening to identify trunk stiffness and tolerance. This is done through taking the client through each test and exercise progression step by step to know when they are ready to progress onto the nest step.</span>

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<h2></h2>
<h3></h3>
<h3><b>Principle five</b><b> - </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Function &amp; Performance</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></h3>
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<h3><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Definition -  This principle is the strengthening and reinforcement of the previous 2 principles to improve function and performance in any individual </span></em></h3>
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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why is this important?</span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">This is important because the ability to perform a task safely and optimally can only really be done safely once principles 3 and 4 have been achieved. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Development of the trunk's ability to stiffen while the limbs are being used is what gives us stability and control.</span>

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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">How is the principle recognised?</span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">This principles can be recognised by the specificity of the movements chosen by the practitioner based on their understanding of their clients needs/goals and the physical and psychological assessment of their client.</span>

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<img class=" wp-image-33433 aligncenter" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IMAGE-7-300x168.png" alt="" width="382" height="214" />

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<h1><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why are principles of intrinsic biomechanics important?</span></h1>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Hopefully the definitions given here have explained the importance of the intrinsic biomechanical principles, particularly in their application. </span>

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<h1><span style="font-weight: 400;">Conclusion</span></h1>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Due to our current lifestyles we are seeing modern ailments becoming normalised. Symptoms caused by these modern ailments are blamed on clinical problems however the body is a master of compensation through its integrated system. Therefore if the body begins to hurt insidiously without any actual trauma occurring it is common for this to be a biomechanical cause that gives off an alarm bell or message to the individual to change something!</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Given the level of objectivity that can be achieved through these rigorous MSK assessments (and reassessment) it is alarming that these principles are not commonly utilised by unregulated practitioners working with clients.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">So hopefully this particular blog has given you an understanding of the importance of intrinsic biomechanical principles…</span>

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<h1>Would you like to discuss becoming a Biomechanics Coach?</h1>
<img class="size-medium wp-image-28329 aligncenter" src="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_6770-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
<h2><a href="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/biomechanics-coach-diploma-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why not get in touch HERE</a></h2>
OR info@biomechanicseducation.com

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