Biomechanical Alignment

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NOTE: There is a lot of information in these details. I do try to keep it simple, but I know that it can still seem complex. To help, I have linked a short video to provide graphic illustration.

Biomechanical alignment refers to the position of your bones and muscles to produce a desired movement. 

Basic concepts:

You need to exert force to move. This involves strength and something to push against, such as a chair, the ground, a counter, etc.

Your body can slow down how much you are able to move. Strength can improve your ability to continue to move.

When you are moving, you can transfer some of that momentum to other objects, like a ball you might toss to a pet. The more strength you have, the more momentum you can transfer to that ball, making it go a little further.

In addition to force, you also need stability of movement. You might think of this as having good balance both when you are still and when you are moving.

Balance occurs when the weight of your body parts is evenly distributed around your center of gravity. There’s some math involved in calculating the center of gravity, but in general, you can think of it as the place where gravity pulls down on you the most.

If you are standing with your arms at your sides, your center of gravity is (usually) in the middle of an imaginary line drawn between your belly button and tailbone. 

There is a concept called the line of gravity which refers to how gravity is pulling through the center of gravity towards the ground.

Another important part of balance is your base of support. This is where your body is making contact with supporting surfaces. 

Here is a short video that describes these concepts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLES29AujuU

In standing, your base of support would be your feet.  If you bend far enough forward, your center of gravity shifts and the line of gravity pulls your weight forward and out of your base of support. This can result in a fall if you do not have the strength, flexibility, or reaction to compensate. 

Your center of gravity can change from the usual location, described above, if you have poor posture. It can shift your center of gravity to the outer edge of, or completely out of, your base of support.

This can result in strain on muscles that are overcompensating to keep you balanced. 

You might need a supporting device to help you stay balanced.

Overcompensating muscles can become painful. They can also result in poorly aligned joints. Poorly aligned joints can create wear and tear damage in those joints both causing and worsening arthritic changes.

Imbalance can result in falls, which can continue to make pain and recovery difficult, to say the least. In short, if you have been advised to use a device to prevent falls while you improve balance, please do so.

Here is another nice little video, a bit technical, that talks about how biomechanics affect joint position in the hip, knee, and foot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk2eX00alqw

If you think about how your posture is, how gravity is pulling on you, and what you are unconsciously doing to compensate, you can begin to see how this can create less than ideal forces on your joints. This, then, can contribute to arthritic changes, pinched nerves, sore muscles, and more.

• Strengthen your core, hips, and shoulders.
• Stretch tight muscles to improve flexibility.
• Use ergonomic positioning.
• Support your progress with postural trainers (do not rely on them alone to make the improvements for you).
• Use fall prevention aids, such as grab bars, non-slip bathroom surfaces, canes and walkers, stair rails, good lighting, and similar.