Are you square?

Are You Square?

As stated in my prior post, physical therapy and clinical treatment should address the “why” of injury and not just the pain, as that is only a band-aid. The first thing that needs to be assessed to answer “why” with any injury or performance program is your alignment.

Alignment encompasses not only the spine but the interaction and position of the pelvis and the rib cage. Often times, the root cause of an injury is the loss of a neutral positioning of the core square. The bottom of the square is composed of the pelvis and sacrum; and the top of the square is composed of the ribs and shoulder complex. Loss of your square results in asymmetric positioning of the spine, hip sockets and the shoulder joints which limits the joints’ rotation. If you lose your square, and your hips and shoulders become asymmetrically limited, because the axis is different, it changes how every joint throughout the body moves when you walk.

A great example is that many low back and knee pain cases are a result of hip limitations. In this scenario, the pelvis is not square which limits rotation at the hip causing the back or knee to compensate. This leads to overuse, inflammation, and altered movement patterns. Evaluation should identify any asymmetric positioning of the square which needs to be addressed before treatment occurs through repositioning of the square to restore proper axis of rotation.

To see if you are square, visit Patient Information on www.transitionspt.com and look at recognizing asymmetry.

In my next post, we will explore “why” people lose their square.