The Quality of Your Movement Matters (Part 2)

Here at Release Works, we talk frequently about the quality of movement in your body. We might say something like, “It’s not so much about what you do as it is about how you do it”. People are often unsure what we mean by that and may wonder, “How does quality of movement matter and how do I know if I’ve got issues there?”

Here is a simple introduction to a few key areas we see that are often causing difficulty.

Imbalanced pelvis (a.k.a Pelvic Misalignment)

If your hip bones are imbalanced, then at least one side is going to be stiffer as your body tries to protect the low back (sacrum) joint that is overly twisted and jammed. Every step you take will smack into this stiffness instead of being smoothly shock absorbed. This micro-stress adds up, leading to stiffer, more sore tissues and further problems down the road.

How to tell if your hips are imbalanced and causing you trouble

If so, you very likely have a pelvic/hip imbalance. (And most people do. This is the biggest thing that needs to be helped in order for everything to feel good and move well.)

This commonly leads to symptoms of sciatica, low back pain, pelvic floor prolapse, hip, knee, or even foot problems, but it also leads to problems and symptoms up above. I’ll talk about some of those next.

Twisted spine and stiffened ribcage

With an imbalanced pelvis, the foundation of your spine, it should come as no surprise that you will also have a twisted and bent spine. This means lumbar discs with excessive and uneven pressure, which makes disc herniation or deterioration more likely. Nerve impingements (like sciatica) are more likely as well. If your lower back still moves, it or your hips will often feel achy or sore. If your lower back is stiff enough to hardly move at all, you’ll be one of those who doesn’t have lower back pain, but does have a lower back issue that is causing pain elsewhere.

And your ribcage? It will be twisted and bent too, getting stiffer overall, with nerves getting impinged or rib heads “popping out.” This will lead to “that one spot in your back that is always or often tight and hurting.” (There might be more than one spot.)

How to tell if this is affecting you?

Other indications of poor quality movement ability

Any or all of these things are signals that your body is having trouble moving correctly, even if there is not a pain that seems associated with anything. If any of these describes your experience, you’d benefit from addressing the stuck, tight, and glued tissues that have built up in various ways throughout your lifetime.