Biomechanics and therapists

Therapists are becoming increasingly skilled at being able to diagnose and treat injury.  One factor that is recognised to compliment that process is the understanding of biomechanics.  No longer can we look at one joint and hope to understand its full implications to the patient’s condition.  The body is an integrated system and all of its component parts affect each other.  The kinetic chain and how structures relate to each other in biomechanical terms can have a profound effect on treatment outcomes.  In a case study, a player with ‘non-specific’ groin pain which was unable to be diagnosed, despite specialist consultation and MRI scanning, was treated successfully by working on the biomechanical function of his opposite shoulder. An understanding of the biomechanical links between the key biomechanical pillars is critical to enable a highly effective and long term solution to patient’s problems.

In terms of orthotic prescription for an over-pronator, for example, one of the compensations for a leg length discrepancy (of the longer leg) is increased pronation of the sub-talar joint.  If however the leg length discrepancy was caused by a rotated pelvis, then the correct orthotic prescription for the foot may no longer be relevant and may in fact harm the patient.  By screening the biomechanics of the patient’s key biomechanical pillars, you can identify when the foot is pronating due to a global biomechanical issue or one from the foot. So if you have a person with an injury that is failing to respond to treatment, chances are there is a biomechanical cause somewhere else in the body that is loading that susceptible area.  Finding the global biomechanical cause can be critical in getting that person back to sport and importantly minimising the risk of recurrence.

Qualifying as a Biomechanics Coach will help therapists and Personal Trainers who have an interest in rehabilitation and pain management, understand and be able to apply these links far more both in terms of managing pain, but also in relation minimizing the risk of injury too.