Get Your Booty to "Bark"! Muscle Function

OK, since I enjoy talking about function and biomechanics lets talk about how to turn on your butt!  Thought that might get someones attention.  Any way, the Gluteal/hip/ butt muscles are the "powerhouse" muscles.  We call them the big house or the cannon.  The first thing to do before "shooting" the cannon is to "load" the cannon.  In function this simply means you need to efficiently load (eccentrically)the gluteus muscles in order to effectively unload or more forcefully create a concentric contraction.  During the loading or pronation phase ( front foot hits the ground in lunge or gait)

   the function of the gluteus muscles (max, min and med) is to eccentrically control hip flexion in the sagittal plane, hip adduction in the frontal plane and femoral/hip internal rotation.  If you look at an anatomy picture of the gluteus maximus you will notice that the fiber orientation is primarily in the transverse plane.  This baby was designed for femoral/hip rotation (a significant component of lower extremity pronation)

The gluteus attaches proximally to the saccrum and the illiac crest and distally to the greater trochanter and blends with the tensor fascia latae (TFL) to form the illiotibial band.  The ITB attaches distally to the anterior/lateral aspect of the tibia.

So, for example, when you are walking and your foot hits the ground and begins to pronate, the calcaneus everts causing the tibia to advance forward and internally rotate (see "When Foot Hits Ground" post).  This creates a quick "pull" on the ITB, which creates a quick stretch on the gluteus thereby stimulating the butt to contract.  This is further accentuated by the femoral internal rotation that also eccentrically lengthens the gluteus maximus.  Remember that neurologically a muscle responds to a quick stretch (eccentric load) by concentrically contracting. Therefore, if one has limited calcaneal eversion (after ankle injury or immobilization) they will not be able to effectively and efficiently turn on the butt which leads to compensation and further problems.  There in lies the beauty of function!

Get Strong! Stay Strong!

Chris

Knee Pain?...No Problem!

Many suffer from knee pain.  It can range from intermittent aching to severe debilitating pain. The symptoms may include pain, stiffness, swelling, popping, difficulty climbing stairs, squatting and sitting for long periods. X-rays often reveal varying degrees of arthritis, but sometimes are normal.  Barring traumatic injury many of the symptoms of knee pain can be attributed to muscle imbalances and faulty biomechanics.  This leads to increased wear and tear and tendonitis from overuse.  Through advanced study and greater understanding of biomechanics and functional anatomy we realize that most knee pain has nothing to do with the knee.  The knee pain is a symptom, but the cause is usually elsewhere.  Many times we have found the foot and/or the hip to be the weak link. The foot and hip are  both very mobile joints, while the knee is primarily limited to flexing and extending.  The phrase “it’s all connected” is the central theme to human movement. For example, if the foot flattens out more than normal (overprontes) it will cause the knee to collapse more than normal towards the midline.  This will put stress on the medial knee joint, compress the lateral knee joint, cause the knee cap to track off center and subject the muscles to work harderto try to control and stabilize through a greater range of motion.  Another example would be tightness of the hip flexors and weakness of the gluteal muscles which are present in most people due to the fact that we sit a lot and sleep in the fetal position.  We refer to this as “dormant butt syndrome”. When the hip flexors are tight they cause weakness in the gluteus maximus (the butt, tooshee, cannon or powerhouse) through a phenomenon called reciprocal inhibition (when one muscle is tight it causes weakness in the opposite muscle).  The butt is a strong stabilizer/ motion controller of the lower extremity. When it is weak it also allows the knee to collapse into the midline placing more stress on the joint and soft tissues.  Over time the knee is subject to more wear and tear and many of the symptoms of knee pain begin to creep up. So if your knee pain persists it is a good idea to seek out a knowledgeable professional to help you. Knee pain doesn’t have to put an end to your fun, if the right approach is taken.

Get Strong! Stay Strong!

Chris