The Importance Of Biomechanics Before Engaging In Vigorous Activities
When you are someone who is engaged in sports such as football or baseball the risk of getting injured is inevitable. There are the perils of twisting an ankle or getting a sprained knee. Biomechanics can help lessen the chances of that injury especially when you understand how this concept can be applied and integrated into exercises.
The study of biomechanics is the analysis of the forces of physical exertion on the structures of the body. Moreover, when you understand the dynamics of movement and the type of force applied to create a movement, you can have a better form and movement when playing the sport you love.
This also goes with weight lifting or doing explosive exercises that although I have nothing against, I am a bit wary of how people rashly do these exercises without proper posture. In one of the offerings that we have where we help athletes and those individuals who are engaged with vigorous activities, I always integrate the importance of safety when exercising. Applying correct biomechanical principles can help you:
Reduce the risk of injury. If you are applying good force, your form and movement will also be functional and optimal.
It also helps improve your performance and make greater fitness gains in strength, fitness, flexibility, and cardiovascular.
Create exercises where you can have maximum gains in the shortest time and in the safest way possible.
In sports, abnormal biomechanics could be a possible cause of injury. And these abnormal biomechanics can be due to anatomical abnormalities such as leg and arm length discrepancies, and the whole nine yards. This is why athletes get biomechanical evaluations and video motion analysis from their medical physical therapists to determine what type of strike pattern a runner uses when their foot hits the ground, and make necessary adjustments after getting a running-related injury.
Another great use of biomechanical evaluation is that it helps in assessing the degree of strain placed on a pitcher’s elbow for example, and the likelihood that they will experience an injury in the future. Basically, it’s useful knowledge and a tool for physical therapists to make tweaks to the athlete’s form and enhance overall performance.
Biomechanics For Regular Exercises
When you are exercising, the body endures physical stress in order to strengthen the muscles involved and increase its effectiveness over time. This stress is created by lifting heavy weights or moving the body in ways that increase heart and respiration rates. When this is done correctly, it creates a force on the muscles and bones in a way that causes tiny damages to muscle fibers and tissues. This is an important process to make muscles and body tissues stronger. Once they heal, the body gets stronger than it was before exercising.
Another example of engaging quadriceps is squatting exercises. This does not only affect the quadriceps but also the hamstrings, gluteus maximus, and several muscles in the body. The range of motion involved can help with leg, hip, and back flexibility. And the cardiovascular benefits of this exercise can improve blood flow which reduces the risk of heart disease and a better overall quality of life.
A study in 2021 showed that a body squat that does not go all the way down to 90º, provided significant improvement to functional strength measured by the number of sit-to-stand repetitions completed in 30 seconds and a 1-RM leg press in an elderly population.
Full body biomechanics exercises can activate the lateral knee and ankle, engage your core, and improve your overall stability, strength, and tendon elasticity. When the principles are applied correctly, aided with consistent efforts, you become stronger and more capable of movement over time. And who does not want that?
How You Can Integrate Biomechanics Into Your Activities
I always emphasise the essence of safety in exercises. When you get injured, it will be a bit difficult to recover from it, albeit a possibility of recovery is still within reach. Biomechanics in exercises can greatly correct what needs to be corrected for a safer environment for your body and thus preventing an injury.
Speak to your physical therapist who can gather necessary information from a biomechanical assessment to improve any problems or deficiencies through specific exercises. It can also help movement abnormalities i.e. if you have multiple sclerosis for example or other neurological disorders that lack stability or power in a particular body region.
A lot of clients here at Evoke Movement have seen the benefits of a biomechanics evaluation. If you are interested in this type of service with us, you can click here to book a free 15-minute appointment so we can identify the issues and how biomechanics may help in your particular situation.
With my Online Program, I do not rush my clients into achieving the goal i.e. becoming more efficient with the sport they are engaged in or having to maximise the gains of their exercises. I believe everything should be slow, steady, and consistent to avoid getting injured.
