Movement patterns

A human movement pattern is any human movement in which there is recognizable repetition and regularity in space and time. The most common movement patterns in everyday life are walking, squatting, bending, carrying objects, pushing and pulling. In concrete examples, we can mention: sitting down and getting up from a chair, tying shoes, walking, carrying shopping bags, opening or closing doors.

We learn movement patterns from the early stages of our lives, modifying them and adapting them to our needs. Unfortunately, with age, we notice a deterioration in our body posture and the associated compensatory movements, which cause the consolidation of bad movement patterns, leading to overload and pain. In order to prevent overload and dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system, we should remember about the correctness of movement patterns in everyday activities, correcting them and consolidating them in the form of various exercises.

Just as learning the alphabet at school is the foundation of teaching, the movement alphabet in the form of 7 movement patterns is the basis for the implementation of motor activities.

There are seven such movement patterns:

Gait pattern

Gait is a process of constantly losing and regaining balance. In the gait pattern, attention should be paid to deviation from the axis, which should be eliminated. Basic deviations include: valgus/varus knees, pelvic drop during leg transfer, torso tilt, valgus feet. The posture should be an upright figure with a centrally located center of gravity. The knees, pelvis and shoulders should be in line. Attention should be paid to the parallel positioning of the feet. The upper limbs should work alternately in relation to the lower limbs. Each step should be initiated by contact of the heel with the ground, therefore walking on toes and starting a step from the midfoot is an error and most likely results from dysfunctions in the musculoskeletal system.

In addition to standard walking, more problems may occur when carrying a load from the side. Proper stabilization of the torso and tension of the abdominal muscles are very important then. Leaning to the side leads to excessive work of the muscles of the entire spine, shoulder girdle and lower limb. The joints of the lower limbs are particularly vulnerable, which become more unstable during sudden movement and additional external load, which leads to overloading of both ligaments and muscles.

The squat is one of the most complex movement patterns. Performing a squat correctly allows you to move heavy loads while maintaining safety. In everyday life, we most often use this pattern to lift something off the ground. Performing the movement, in this movement pattern, begins with adopting the correct starting position. The starting position is a standing position with a slight spread of the legs, feet placed hip-width apart or slightly wider, parallel or directed slightly outwards. You should tighten the abdominal muscles to stabilize the pelvis and spine, these body elements must remain in the same position throughout the movement. A correct squat should be initiated by pushing the hips back while bending the knees. Physiologically, every person should be able to do a full deep squat, in which the heels touch the buttocks, but this is only the range of motion that we should have. In exercises, it is recommended to go slightly lower than the level of the knees, but not to the full range of motion. The lifted weight should be placed as close to the body as possible, and its movement should take place vertically. When performing squats to strengthen the muscles of the lower limbs, in addition to mastering the correct technique, it is important to select the optimal load. This reduces the risk of injury.

An example of using this pattern in everyday life is taking a child out of the bathtub. The basic mistake made when taking a toddler out of the bath is standing on straight legs and rounding the back. In the case of lifting, the above-mentioned posture significantly strains the spine, and in particular adversely affects the condition of the intervertebral discs. The resulting pain may be local and affect only the lower back, but may also radiate to the lower limbs. Additionally, incorrect posture during lifting may also contribute to overloading the pelvic ligaments. In the prevention of lumbar pain, mention is made of the deep muscles, abdominal muscles, diaphragm, and pelvic muscles.

Squat pattern

Torso flexion

One of the common flexion movements is the movement of the torso flexion in lying position, the so-called crunch. This exercise consists of lifting the torso (flexion) from the ground with a stabilized pelvis, i.e. in a neutral position of the pelvis throughout the movement. The head should remain in extension of the spine, which means that we cannot bend it to the chest. It may be helpful to interlace your hands on the neck in such a way that the thumbs resting on the neck point down. This position of the hands allows us to control the tension in the neck, which we want to avoid or minimize during the exercise.

The shoulder blades in this exercise should be stabilized, which can be achieved by pulling the shoulder back and down, or, as it were, "pulling" the shoulder blades together. During the exercises, one should strive to perform the work in the full range of motion, but if the person exercising is unable to perform the exercise correctly, then the exercise should be continued until compensation occurs (errors in the exercise). Returning to the starting position should be done slowly with muscle control (without falling) and using the above rules. Torso flexion must always be combined with exhalation.

Torso straightening

This movement can be performed in several variants, i.e. trunk extension in standing, lying down, kneeling. Trunk extension in standing should only occur in the hip joints while maintaining neutral spine and pelvic curves. The essence of this exercise is the global extension movement initiated by the posterior muscle band, and in particular the gluteus maximus and hamstrings.

The execution of the movement is initiated by adopting the correct posture (tense abdomen, pulled shoulder blades, straight back). The hands hold the lifted object, hang freely or, if the exercise is performed lying down, hold the weight close to the chest. It is important that the weight is held as close to the body as possible to eliminate unnecessary strain and possible pain. The head is an extension of the torso during the entire movement. The most common mistake is to lead to excessive "hyperextension" in the lumbar section, so the exercise should be performed until the curves are completely controlled. From the point of view of sports practice, the best exercise to perfect this pattern is deadlifting and extending the torso on a ball or device. When extending the torso in a kneeling position, which is preceded by bending, it is important to remember that the extension movement is derived from the hip, i.e. initiated by the buttock muscles. It is important that the movement takes place in the hip, and the remaining segments, including the spine sections, are motionless (stabilized).

An example of using this pattern is playing wheelbarrow with a child. An inappropriate position while playing on all fours can cause overload of the shoulder girdle and the cervical spine. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to remember to:

• straightening the back in the thoracic section and stabilizing the shoulders,

• stabilizing the lower spine by tightening the abdominal and buttock muscles,

• positioning the head in extension of the body line, i.e. above the shoulders,

• so that the hip, knee and ankle joints form one line (to maintain the joint axis),

• positioning your feet as parallel to each other as possible.

Torso rotation

Rotational movements of the trunk are performed thanks to the existence of joint connections of the spine and ribs and in peripheral joints. Each joint has its maximum range of motion, which contributes to determining the total range of trunk rotation. The ability to rotate the spine is limited in the thoracic part due to the numerous connections of the ribs with the sternum, while it is the greatest in the lumbar and cervical sections. When using rotation exercises, the goal should be taken into account, and therefore the place where the rotation should occur.

For example, if the person exercising wants to work on the oblique muscles that are part of the so-called core, they should perform a rotation in the spine with a stabilized pelvis. If the goal is to improve the squat in the case of valgus knees, the rotation of the trunk should be initiated by rotation in the hip. The rotation of the trunk can also occur in several variants: in a standing position, in a lunge, in a lying position, in a kneeling position. In the rotation of the trunk in a lunge, the stabilizers of the knee joint are strongly involved. The rotation here is both an element of destabilization (difficulty) and, thanks to the use of rotation, the entire center has to work harder due to the changing conditions.

As in every exercise, in this case, you should remember about the axial movement and body control. In the lying trunk rotation, you can perform mobilization exercises controlled by the upper body, while the lower body is stabilized. This is intended to improve the extension and rotation in the thoracic section and relax the muscles that limit this range. Another mobilization exercise is the variant of the stabilized upper body, while the lower body moves. In the case of this exercise, the greatest mobilization takes place in the thoracolumbar transition (approximately at the level of the end of the sternum) and in the lumbar section.

Pushing pattern

The muscle groups involved in this movement create a resultant force of action from the body or from the object, depending on the variant performed. The stabilization requirements of the trunk and individual body segments should always be taken into account when choosing exercises in this pattern. When choosing exercises, you can choose to work with one or two arms performed in three planes of movement. In the case of exercises involving both upper limbs, movement asymmetry between them should not be allowed. Before performing the movement, you should adopt the appropriate starting position, with your feet firmly based on the ground. When pressing or pushing the weight, the heels should rest on the ground, while during pushing, the foot can rest on the toes and midfoot. During the performance of the pattern, special attention should be paid to maintaining the stabilization of the pelvis and shoulder girdle.

Pushing can be combined with a walking pattern, then such a movement engages the entire body, which means that many parts of the body must be controlled simultaneously. The most important thing is that the spine and pelvis remain in a neutral position. The movement of the legs forward should mainly come from the hip through extension thanks to the gluteal muscles. The most popular example of a pushing pattern is the so-called push-up. Also, when spending time with children on the playground, we very often perform the pushing pattern when we push the child on a swing. Long-term and often repeated activities in incorrect positions can contribute to the development of pain and strain of the musculoskeletal system. Pushing the child on a swing without maintaining the correct posture can lead to strain of both the cervical and lumbar spine and the muscles of the shoulder girdle. Long-term flexion of the lumbar spine, with the additional load in the form of pushing off the swing, can negatively affect the quality of the intervertebral discs. Sudden, jerky movements, without proper breathing and shifting body weight from one leg to the other cause micro-damage in the musculoskeletal system, which can often result in pain and limited mobility.