Mobility is Priority
You can’t move where you can’t move.
The human body is a marvel of compensation and task achievement. If movement cannot be created from the desired body part or joint, your body will compensate by creating movement in a nearby area to accomplish the movement task you’re asking it to perform. The overhead press is a perfect example. Many clients have difficulty raising their arms fully overhead. Often they will feel pinching or pain in the front of their shoulder, or their lower back will arch and the ribs will flare significantly in order to achieve the overhead position. These compensatory movements, over time, will lead to unnecessary wear and tear on the joints and connective tissue because they are being overused o make up for a lack of movement elsewhere.
Furthermore, most people experience stiffness and discomfort from being in a handful of positions throughout their day. This is generally not the individual's fault, as many jobs require sitting for long periods of time. Sit at your desk. Sit in traffic in your car. Sit on your couch.
The problem is not the sitting itself; it’s the lack of variety of positions throughout the day. Lack of movement, or lack of exposure to different postures and positions, is the real culprit of stiffness and most chronic orthopedic issues. CCHF applies a unique blend of training approaches to offset or attenuate the effect of chronic sitting or static postures:
Our Approach
PRI Repositioning Techniques
Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs)
PRI Repositioning Techniques
The Postural Restoration Institute® (PRI) utilizes a unique and revolutionary approach to posture and joint positioning that respects and accounts for the human body’s natural asymmetry. The neurological, respiratory, circulatory, and muscular systems are not the same on the left side of the body as they are on the right, and vice versa. They have different responsibilities, functions, positions, and demands on them. that are dictated by our anatomy. The torso, for example, is situated with your liver on the right and your heart on the left. The right half of your diaphragm is larger than the left half to accommodate these organs. Even your lungs are asymmetrical: 3 lobes on the right, and 2 lobes on the left. These asymmetries are balanced through reciprocal function; i.e. left arm moves with the right leg and the right arm moves with the left leg.
We recognize the imbalances and typical patterns associated with system disuse (or weakness) that develops because of dominant side’s overuse. When these normal asymmetries and imbalances are not regulated by reciprocal function during walking, breathing, or turning, a strong pattern emerges that can create structural weaknesses, instabilities, and chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Utilizing objective tests to assess the positions of your body, you will learn to perform non-traditional yet highly effective exercises that will help you return to a state of neutrality and increase freedom of movement so you will not have to fight against your own body. These are the first steps in learning to move with confidence and strength.
As freedom of movement is restored and new ranges of motion become available, you will learn to perform Controlled Articular Rotations to maintain and utilize those new ranges.
Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs)
CARs are defined as active, rotational movements at the outer limits of articular motion. It is the movement of an isolated joint through its largest, pain-free range of motion. Many clients struggle with dissociating joints that like to work together, and they will often display unconscious compensatory motion, such as the aforementioned back arch and rib flare while moving their arm overhead. By improving internal positioning and function, you can begin to express better control and easier movement. CARs are used to help “hit the save button” on these improvements.
The uses and benefits of CARs are manifold.
ROM Maintenance
Provide signaling for tissue remodeling to allow for maximal tissue elongation & range of motion maintenance
Engaging and training all articular mechanoreceptors on a regular basis (afferent feedback)
Preventing maturation of fibrotic tissue
Delaying or preventing the onset of osteoarthritis
Articular Health & Longevity
Cartilage has no blood supply. It receives oxygen & nutrition from the surrounding joint by diffusion via pressure changes during movement
Articular Screening
Identify Aberrant Joint Function
Articular motion causing restriction and/or pain on the closing side of the joint
Identify Joint Coupling
Neighboring joints moving to compensate and simulate ROM
Rehabilitation
Restore articular kinesthetic awareness
Neuromuscular retraining
Increasing articular strength/stability
Inflammation control
Movement is anti-inflammatory
By restoring neurological awareness, improving mind-muscle connection, and restoring proper internal positioning and function, movement becomes freer and easier. Maintenance and improvement of mobility will always be a part of our programming because this allows you to move with the strength you already have. We then reinforce and improve this mobility and strength through traditional strength training and fun, yet challenging non-traditional training methods to make you strong and mobile for life.
The ideas and methods discussed in this article were taught by Dr. Ron Hruska (PRI) and Dr. Andreo Spina (FRS).