Prerequisites, Assessments, and Algorithms

Our ability to move optimally relies on the ability to understand of relationship between prerequisites, assessments, and algorithms. Without one the other two components cannot be expressed or utilized optimally.  

Prerequisites are more than just the building blocks of our educational degrees, they determine our proficiency in our own movement education. As humans we have roughly 244 degrees of freedom within our system. To express all of these is difficult, but to give ourselves the best chance possible we need to have competency in our primitive movement patterns and their associated prerequisites. In other words no single movement pattern occurs in isolation, but rather reflects the intelligence and eloquence of system integration between the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. The influence one body region or joint can have on another has been highlighted through the work of many leaders in the field of anatomy and physiology. With 200 joints and 630 muscles it would be hard to believe that there isn't at least some interplay between them. The link that explains this interplay is our nervous system. When a movement pattern prerequisite is not met, it increases the stress within our system. This stress induces neurologic compensation in attempts to complete the said movement pattern. The result is a feedforward loop that further induces strain on soft tissue. The body continues to try and adapt until it no longer can and eventually leads to a decrease in performance: reduced total force production, decreased rate of force production, or the onset of pain. Thus identification of these unmet pre-requisites is fundamental to our movement health. Using an assessment/evaluation that is comprehensive locally and globally allows for effective identification. Additionally, it maximizes our expressible degrees of freedom. If a deficient pre-requisite is left unattended it can increase sympathetic neural activity. The body's response is to go into survival mode and it reduces its' degrees of freedom. Our movement becomes inefficient and so does our training. To combat this inefficiency our evaluation becomes fundamental. An evaluation is not only led by an algorithm, but leads into one too. This allows a streamline approach to treatment and performance training. 

An algorithmic evaluation allows the elimination of unnecessary information. Being reactive to each individual in front of us is important. If we don't have an evaluation that helps to guide and lead us, we will undoubtedly compile copious amounts of unwarranted information. Wading through this information is wasted energy that could be better focused. A focused algorithm for each movement pattern is also fundamental. In this sense passing A doesn't point us to B or C, but rather qualifies a client through pre-requisites to begin working on B and then C. Layering a movement pattern helps to create a motor engram in us and our clients. Thus, movement can become optimal and we can start to introduce variability and begin optimizing performance. In summary: Do you know the prerequisites of our primitive movement patterns? Do you have an algorithmic evaluation? Do you have an algorithm for pattern development? Try to build these out in your own practice and see if you notice a difference in how people are moving and feeling in your space.   

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