At the Gray Institute, the Principle of Chain Reaction provides the foundation for many of the strategies used to evaluate and treat dysfunctions of movement; whether they are symptomatic or not. The 3D connectedness of the body allows for global movements, driven by the hands and feet, to show the movement practitioner where the body moves well. This is important because our training and treatment programs start with success. These global movements also indicate where (plane or specific joint) the movement is less than optimal. This is the basis for the powerful strategies of the 3D Movement Analysis and Performance System (3DMAPS).
The “truth” of the Chain Reaction Principle provides so much more for practitioners of Applied Functional Science (AFS). Fellows in the GIFT Mentorship Program learn about something called “probable suspects”. Because any part of the body can influence any other part, we all must become what Gary Gray refers to as biomechanical detectives. When a client we are training starts to experience some discomfort, or when a patient comes to see us with a specific diagnosis, it is very often the case that the CAUSE of the symptoms is not located at the SITE/TISSUE with the symptoms.
Without a focus on the CAUSE, our options become limited. The training program might need to be stopped so that the discomfort can abate. The rehab program can relieve the symptoms, but when the patient resumes the activity it is likely their problem will return. Focusing on the CAUSE can be a daunting task. If the CAUSE can be anywhere in the body, how will the biomechanical detective find it. Two things make this challenge surmountable: global movements that check many joints at the same time, and the Chain Reaction Biomechanics of “probable suspects”. The CAUSES become logical if we understand the Principles of human movement, and how the Principles influence the Chain Reaction of any activity.
This blog is the start of a series of blogs and accompanying videos that will look at specific tissue impairments/diagnoses. The biomechanics of the probable suspects will be addressed along with potential findings during a 3DMAPS analysis to help identify the CAUSE. There are some general rules/strategies that will be considered in the forthcoming blogs.
- Look close to the symptoms first
- Look in each of the 3 planes of motion
- Use global movements to “ask” functional movement “questions”
- Create movements that replicate the activities of the client
- Use more local movements to verify (interrogate) the suspected CAUSE