Muscles and Maximum Performance by Zach Simkins, student intern
Our body is composed of 606 muscles, and hundreds of tendons that anchor to various muscles, to create this beautiful thing we call motion. Some people, like myself, choose to utilize motion for sports! Whether it is triathlons, hockey, rugby, weightlifting, dance or any other pursuit, our ability to coordinate movements is what makes us successful and less likely to suffer an injury. That is why it is so important to have your biomechanics evaluated for current or potential problems that will lead to early breakdown of joints, chronic injury and limited or decreased performance.
There are an endless number of reasons why we become subluxated with muscles being a double edged sword. Muscles can either enhance our ability to perform, move and be pain free or they can become a roadblock on our way to achieving maximum health. If you have ever had a rolled ankle, tweaked hamstring, or more-sore-than-it-should-be shoulder, you know what it feels like to be at the mercy of your muscles. But consider this, how did your body adapt after you started feeling better? Sure you may no longer be in terrible pain but how did your body compensate for having a limp, torn muscle or bad posture while you recovered?
Consider this analogy, if someone were to tug on the bottom of your shirt, where would you feel it? You might feel something where its being tugged but you are actually more likely to feel it on the complete opposite side of your shirt! The body works in the same way, since like a shirt, all of our bones and muscles are interconnected. Using this logic, that pain in your hip could very well be due to an old ankle sprain that healed itself but caused your body to compensate by shifting your hip into a position that is less than optimal.
Using a myriad of assessment tools and techniques, namely one specifically designed for athletes called Global Assessment, we can identify your areas of strength as well as weakness to focus our attention towards injury prevention and maximizing your performance. As a Sports Certified Chiropractor, Dr Rubin and his interns are equipped to assess all aspects of the human frame, including the nervous, skeletal and muscular systems.
