Rotation

“Tennis is all about rotation of the body and my ability to create power”. Samantha Stosur.

Golfers and tennis players are not the only ones who benefit from rotation. Life revolves around rotation! We aim to discover rotation in our bodies from the foot to the head. Why? Rotation is the movement power that drives us forward in life, literally from the movement spirals in our bones in our foot, to the lower leg, hips, pelvis, core, to rotation in our upper back. These revolutions in the body assist to push us while we walk, keep us balanced, and allow us to move with ease and efficiency. 

For example rotation throughout the body is beneficial to the hips; I see it a lot in the clinic, patients with aching, overburdened hips who have stopped rotating through their bodies for whatever reason. Muscular effort is increased in particular joints and parts of the body when there is no rotation and can cause stress to the area. Maybe we don’t need to continually have to stretch our hips and release our glutes if we can find more rotation throughout different segments of the body?

One of the first steps I take is to determine if rotation is accessible at various segments of the body, and then I seek tactics and exercises to improve rotation in regions where it is lacking. This is analogous to determining how to keep the gears in the moving chain in excellent operating condition.

When you've finished reading this, take a walk around the room, maybe put your hands on your shoulders, and see whether your shoulders or chest move from side to side as you walk. How about your thighs? When you put your hands on them, do you sense any rotation? Do you see or feel a counterrotation of the shoulders and hips while you walk? Just explore for a minute. What are your thoughts? 

Movement exploration is not only enjoyable, but it also helps our brain to perceive and experience varied movement possibilities, allowing us to build new movement patterns.

Discover your life's rotation!