The Human Movement System

Movement is a virtue when it comes to the quality of human life. Whether you simply want to bend over and be able to pick up your grandchildren or to jog until you are are 85, functional movement is the foundation for these goals. At one time the prevailing worldview in Health Care was that debilitating injuries and chronic pain was due to genetic factors and aging. Now, we understand much more about the anatomy and physiology of movement and not only are we able to rehabilitate injuries with better results in shorter time, we are also able to assess movement patterns and imbalances that can lead to predictable, premature dysfunction and dis-ease.

Lets take a quick look at what makes up the Human Movement System. Movement is the expression of the integrated functioning of primarily three main systems within the human body, The Nervous System (Central and Peripheral), The Articular System (Nearly 100 joints in the spine, and close to 200 in the rest of the body) and The Muscular System (Nearly 700 skeletal muscles). The Nervous System is responsible for the recruitment of muscles, learned patterns of movement and the functioning of every organ in the human body. Within the Brain, it is the Pre-frontal cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus and cerebellum which are primarily involved in the sensory and motor strategies of movement. These vital centers in the brain rely on optimal functioning of the joints in the spine for activation by incoming messages and for the uninhibited delivery of outgoing messages headed to the muscular system and vital organs. The spine serves as the bridge between the Central Nervous System and the rest of the body. If one of the segments loses its normal range of motion, there is quite often nerve interference at the space where the nerve exits. This is called a “subluxation”. These dysfunctions affect optimal health, the recruitment of muscles necessary for stability and functional movement patterns. As a result of this misfiring normal length and tension of muscles are compromised leading to shortening/tightening of overused muscles and lengthening/weakening of underused muscles. Correcting these structural dysfunctions can lead to a higher quality of life with Optimal Health and Performance.