Where Form is Lost
So why is form lost? In the above video Steve’s form is lost because there is delay and lack of speed in the firing of his muscles resulting in decreased muscle recruitment. When his knee suddenly tracks inward as he dips to the ground the muscles supporting that movement are not firing fast enough: there is delay and lack of muscle recruitment. Delay and lack of muscle recruitment feeds back to a break in form. When I correct this for the athlete (or anyone for that matter), form changes instantly along with power and agility. (Agility: the speed and efficiency in which one can change directions. Delay and lack of muscle recruitment then will equal less agility for the athlete.)
Form breaks like these are most often mistaken for muscle weakness and are treated with some kind of strengthening and/or stretching regime. Yet the change in the above video was made in about 5 minutes times, where I removed the delay out of the muscle firing pattern creating higher muscle recruitment levels. Again, why is form lost? It is right there. Delay and lack of speed resulting in poor muscle recruitment. And form breaks are typically asymmetrical in nature favoring one side of the body versus the other. It is really a ridiculous notion to think that a muscle group “just went weak” when the form is lost on say the right side versus the left. Did we really mindfully “stop” using our right hamstring so we need to now do some exercises to bring it back up to that of the left? Of course not, it has to do with delay or lack of speed in the firing of the muscles, which appears weak when tested. So, for those dealing with a knee injury, for instance, resolution is likely to occur once reduction in the delay is made but will see little long term improvement with a strengthening/stretching regime.
Thanks for reading,
Steve Noble, DC