I was very fortunate to be introduced to Mike Boyle early on in my training career. What he taught me changed my entire approach on how I work with clients.
Coach Boyle and Gray Cook came up with what they called a Joint by Joint Approach to Movement. If we look at the human body as a stack of joints, "Each joint or series of joints has a specific function and is prone to specific, predictable levels of dysfunction." Knowing this, we understand every joint has specific training needs.
The illustration above shows that joints alternate back and forth from mobility to stability. Coach Boyle states, “injuries relate closely to proper joint function or more appropriately to joint dysfunction.” If there is a problem at one joint, it usually shows up as pain in the joint above or below. Low back pain is often a result of immobile hips. If we lose mobility at the ankle joint, we can get knee pain. If we lose thoracic mobility, we may notice neck or shoulder pain. The list goes on up and down the chain.
In the book Ultra Prevention, the authors describe how our method of reaction to injury is like hearing the smoke detector going off, and running to pull out the battery. The pain you’re feeling at your joint—like the sound of the alarm—is warning of some other problem. If we just ice a sore knee when it hurts, without considering the ankle or hip, we would only be pulling out the battery.
What I learn often contradicts what I formerly believed. It’s always good to do some self-assessment. Don’t be afraid to admit there is a better way, then adapt accordingly.
Article by Mike Krug
BS, CFSC, FMS
Owner and Lead Trainer at Next Level Personal Training Studio
