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Strength Report: Corrective Movement Dysfunction, Part III - Correction

by: Bryan Dermody
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, New York Jets
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The basis for movement dysfunction lies in the lack of mobility and/or stability in one or more joints or muscles in the body. Thus, the basis for correcting movement dysfunction lies in restoring the proper mobility and stability patterns along with correct timing of movement patterns.
    Dysfunction does not occur in isolation. Deficiencies in mobility are always linked to deficiencies in stability and vice versa. In fact, dysfunction in one part of the body typically occurs so that function can be maintained in another part of the body. Movement quality goes down, while the body tries to maintain movement quantity.
     The human body does not allow movement that it cannot control. The exception to this would be in the case of injury in an unpredictable situation. When a lack of stability (e.g., control-ability) is present, the body’s response is to decrease range of motion (ROM) of the movement in order to operate within parameters it can control. What appears to be primarily a mobility deficiency is actually primarily a stability deficiency.
    When the body lacks stability in a given movement pattern, certain muscles are forced to compensate in order to maintain a minimum level of movement capacity. That is, the muscles that are supposed to do the job of stabilization don’t do it or they work overtime because of some mobility or stability deficiency in another part of the body. Often, additional muscles are called upon to do their own job as well as that of the stabilizers. In either scenario, the result is the same: the involved muscles will actually contract and tighten in order to protect themselves. In this case, a stability deficiency shows up as a mobility deficiency. In essence, the weakness causes the tightness and the tightness causes the weakness. This situation cannot be corrected by addressing only the tightness or only the weakness.
    When applied to our corrective approach this means that stability deficiencies cannot be solved by mobility work and mobility work may actually magnify stability problems. This is why it is so important to take an integrated (rather than isolated) approach to corrective exercise – do not try to enhance mobility in one area if you are not also going to increase strength (stability) in another.
    A final concept that must be adhered to if the corrective program is going to produce optimal results concerns the training that takes place with the presence of specific dysfunctions. In the words of Gray Cook, “Never add strength to dysfunction.” If a particular movement pattern is dysfunctional, the last thing we want to do is continue to perform it with an added load. Any time we try to add strength to a dysfunctional movement pattern we are only adding to the dysfunction. This does not include stability training for the movement pattern which, as already discussed, plays a key role in the corrective exercise program. Dysfunctional movement patterns should be removed from the strength and program until they are corrected to an acceptable level.
    Once we select the weakest movement patterns, according to the guidelines discussed in Part II, we need to apply a general progression to our corrective approach. (See the corresponding photos for overhead squat and reverse lunge corrective exercise programs). The general progression (in order) is as follows:

1. Mobility – address mobility limitations in the muscles and joints of the dysfunctional movement pattern (See photos).

2. Static Stability – progress to improving static stability once adequate mobility has been attained - e.g., athlete can get into positions necessary for stability training (See photos).

• Static mobility can be defined as little to no movement with proper body alignment and movement of additional body segments. 

3. Dynamic Stability – progress to dynamic stability once static stability movements do not challenge the athlete to a considerable degree  (See photos).

• Dynamic stability can be defined as uninhibited movement with proper body alignment in a situation that requires the body to support itself in some manner. 

4. Integrated Movement Pattern Training – this is the final step in the corrective exercise progression once the athlete has mastered dynamic stability (See photos).

• Integrated movement pattern training involves the integration of mobility and static and dynamic stability to produce (reinforce) specific movement patterns.

    It is important to remember to constantly check the baseline throughout the corrective program. How often to re-test is not a black and white issue. However, it should typically be re-tested at least once during each phase (e.g., mobility, static stability, dynamic stability, and movement pattern training) of the corrective program.
    The corrective progressions outlined in this article are general examples for each evaluation test that was described in Part I of this series. Individualization of the corrective exercise program based on variables such as specific mobility and stability deficiencies, asymmetries, and length of progressions needed for each individual must be considered by the coach.
    Several questions typically arise for newcomers to corrective exercise:

Q: When should the corrective exercise be performed?
A: The ideal time is right after soft tissue work before the main component of the strength and conditioning program.

Q: How many times per week should corrective exercise be performed?
A: Ideally two times per training week.

Q: Are asymmetries addressed differently than symmetrical dysfunctions?
A: Yes. In the case of asymmetries, the primary goal is to get both sides of the body doing the same thing. This often times means doing mobility or stability work for one side of the body or doing more for one side of the body.

Q. How long should each phase of the corrective program last?
A. This is based on the individual. When the athlete achieves competency in one phase, they should move on to the next.  u

About the Author: Bryan Dermody is completing his first season as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Jets. He previously worked as a strength and conditioning coach at both the University of Louisville and Drake University. Dermody was also on the Iowa staff for four years and graduated from Lakeland College where he was a three-year starter at outside linebacker.






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