Maintaining healthy joints
What practical steps can we take to reduce the risk of injury from repetitive movements - in work or sports?
Biomechanics tells us that there is an optimal orientation to use our joints. For example, when we bend our knees in standing, the knee should move in a direction between the big toe and second toe of the foot of that leg. While this may hold true of a generalised human being, none of us is a perfectly typical specimen, so such indications may not be optimal for us as an individual. And in any case, the best pattern of movement depends on context, on what we are wanting to do in a specific situation. Bending the knee does not happen in isolation, but as part of a function like walking, running, or reaching to the floor.
Furthermore, many of us store residual muscle tension around our joints - hips, shoulders, or ankles. Any muscular work that does not contribute to movement tends to compress the joint, increasing the wear and tear on its moving parts and limiting range of movement.
The best way to use our joints freely is to feel from the inside when their alignment leads to least stress. This is not an easy thing to sense. It takes time and dedication. Two approaches help:
Getting to know what works best for us. Experiment with small slow movements well within your range of comfort. If we keep our awareness on how we move, over time we learn to recognize (i) how to release tension to allow more space in our joints and (ii) what patterns require least effort (and therefore cause least stress and wear). When considering the movement of any given joint, alignment will depend on our whole self. So in the case of a knee joint for example, we need to explore how it works within different combinations of hip and ankle movements, combined with different attitudes of our feet, spine, and head. Human movement is complex, so take time to investigate. This is not something we improve from one day to the next. But over time freedom of movement and balance improve - without forcing any change, just by paying attention in an unhurried way.
Training our system to cope with misalignment. In real life we may find our self in situations where we haven't time or space to find and use the perfect alignment. Sometimes we just need to get on and do something, even though we will be loading a part of our self in a less-than-perfect way. Such situations bring increased risk of injury. But we can make our self more robust by practice: doing movements where we deliberately put ourselves out of alignment. Again, use small, slow, easy movements and only in a pain-free range. By building up our system's embodied knowledge of movement, we train our brain and central nervous system to find the most appropriate response even in difficult situations - not overtaxing muscles or joints, but finding the easiest way to move in the circumstances.
Overall joint health is greatly improved by this kind of practice. You'll be less likely to injure yourself; and if you do get an injury, you'll be able to recover faster because your system knows what good movement feels like.
What experience do you have with injury and movement? Please leave a comment.