How Functional Movement Can Improve Athletic Performance and Prevent Injuries | Triune Wellness
(TLDR: Performance is rooted in how well your entire body moves: mobility, stability, balance, coordination, and nervous system function all play a role in athletic performance and injury prevention. With functional movement assessments, we help identify patterns and limitations that could be affecting how you run, jump, lift, throw, or compete. Our goal is to help you move and function better, so you can perform better, no matter if you're a competitive athlete or someone who simply wants to stay active and capable. You don’t have to wait for pain or injury to improve your performance.)
September is Performance Month at Triune Wellness, and we’re focusing on something that matters to athletes at every level: your body needs to do more than simply be strong, it needs to move well.
Whether you’re a high school athlete preparing for your season, a weekend runner trying to improve your pace, or an adult who wants to stay active and competitive, performance is about more than how much weight you can lift or how hard you can condition.
At Triune Wellness, our goal isn’t only to help patients get out of pain. We want to help people move better, function better, and ultimately perform better.
Professional Athletes Train More Than Strength
When we think about athletic training, strength training and conditioning are usually the first things that come to mind. And while both are incredibly important, high-level athletes know that performance requires much more.
Professional and elite athletes spend significant time working on mobility, range of motion, balance, coordination, stability, and efficient movement patterns.
Why? Because being strong doesn’t necessarily mean your body is using that strength efficiently.
An athlete may have strong legs but limited hip mobility. Another may have excellent endurance but poor stability through the core or pelvis. Someone else may have adequate strength in individual muscle groups, but those muscles may not be coordinating effectively during sport-specific movements.
These limitations can affect performance and over time, and they may contribute to injuries.
Looking at How Your Body Actually Moves
One of the ways we evaluate athletes at Triune Wellness is through functional movement screening.
Rather than simply asking where something hurts, we want to understand how your entire body is moving.
During a functional movement assessment, we may watch you walk and perform specific movements or exercises. This allows us to evaluate things like mobility, stability, balance, coordination, and muscular activation.
We’re looking to answer questions such as:
Is one hip moving differently than the other?
Is your core stabilizing appropriately?
Are certain muscles compensating for weaker areas?
Is limited mobility somewhere in the body changing the way you run, squat, rotate, jump, or throw?
and more!
Once we identify areas that aren't functioning optimally, we can develop exercises and strategies specifically designed to address those patterns.
And because every sport places different demands on the body, we work with athletes based on what their sport actually requires.
A runner has different movement demands than a golfer. A baseball player needs different rotational patterns than a soccer player. A football player may require a different combination of mobility, stability, power, and coordination, and so on.
The goal isn't simply to make you stronger, it's to help your body become better prepared for your sport and your life.
What's your athletics of choice?
0%Golf / Mini Putt / Driving Range
0%Pickleball / Tennis / Squash
0%Soccer
0%Football
You can vote for more than one answer.
Better Movement Leads to Improved Performance and Fewer Injuries
Improving movement quality can have two major benefits: improved performance and injury prevention.
When joints have appropriate mobility, muscles activate effectively, and different areas of the body coordinate together, movement can become more efficient. That can translate to improvements in speed, power, balance, control, and overall athletic performance.
At the same time, identifying dysfunctional movement patterns before they become painful may help reduce unnecessary stress on muscles and joints.
You don't have to wait until something hurts to start paying attention to how your body moves.
The Nervous System Plays a Part Too
Sports performance at Triune Wellness isn't only movement-based. Your nervous system is responsible for communication between your brain and your body. Every sprint, jump, swing, throw, cut, and change of direction requires your nervous system to coordinate movement throughout your body.
That is why chiropractic care can be an important part of an athlete's overall performance strategy.
Our approach looks at both the neurological and functional components of movement.
When your nervous system is functioning optimally and your body is moving efficiently, you are giving yourself a better foundation for athletic performance.
You don't need to be injured to benefit from chiropractic care or a functional movement assessment. In fact, some of the best time to identify movement limitations is when you are looking to take your performance to a higher level or before they turn into an injury.
We encourage athletes of all ages and ability levels to think beyond strength and conditioning.
Ready to up your performance?
CALL US: 508-810-0220
Frequently Asked Questions About Functional Movement & Athletic Performance
What is a functional movement assessment?
A functional movement assessment looks at how your body moves as a whole. It can help identify limitations in mobility, stability, balance, coordination, and muscular activation that may affect performance or contribute to inefficient movement patterns.
Can functional movement help improve athletic performance?
Yes! Identifying and addressing movement limitations can help improve how efficiently your body moves, which may support better mobility, balance, coordination, power, and overall performance.
Do I need to be injured to benefit from a functional movement assessment?
Nope! You don't have to be in pain to evaluate how your body is moving. Assessments can be especially useful when you're preparing for a sports season, working toward a performance goal, or looking to maintain your ability to stay active.
Can chiropractic care help athletes perform better?
Chiropractic care can be part of a comprehensive approach to athletic performance. At Triune Wellness, our neurologically based chiropractic approach considers how the nervous system and body work together to support efficient movement and function.
What types of athletes can benefit from functional movement assessments?
Athletes of all ages and ability levels can benefit. Different sports place different demands on the body, so movement assessments can be useful for runners, golfers, baseball and softball players, soccer players, football players, rowers, pickleball players, and athletes in many other sports.
Can improving movement help reduce the risk of injury?
Identifying inefficient or limited movement patterns may help address areas of unnecessary stress before they become painful. While no approach can guarantee injury prevention, improving movement quality can be an important part of an overall strategy for staying active and healthy.
When should I get a functional movement assessment?
You don't have to wait until something hurts. A good time to consider an assessment is before a sports season, when starting a new training program, when working toward a performance goal, or when you notice that something about your movement doesn't feel quite right.
Have questions about Functional Movement & Athletic Performance?
Or call our office: 508-810-0220
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