The Kinetic Chain – How Referred Pain Comes About

If not having disease nor illness is our goal, we need to focus on being fit, well & healthy. Good health usually comes at a cost of time, effort, sacrifice and resources, or a combination of the prior. Most people don’t care to make the investment into taking care of themselves until after they are injured. even then, most people with health issues often choose pain medicines or sometimes surgery over exercise or lifestyle changes that can improve their situation. Traumatic injuries are often best treated with emergency surgery and that is really not the topic of this post.

What is kinetic linking?
The kinetic link principle describes how the human body can be considered in terms of a series of interrelated links or segments. Movement of one segment affects segments both proximal and distal to the first segment.

Like a machine, it’s made up of otherwise fixed segments given mobility by joints. A kinetic chain is the notion that these joints and segments have an effect on one another during movement. When one is in motion, it creates a chain of events that affects the movement of neighboring joints and segments.

“When one part moves, all parts move”

“When one part is affected, all parts are affected”

Instinctively, as humans we try to center our head directly above our physical center of gravity. Poor posture, short leg
syndrome, injuries or habitual body movements can cause remodeling of the muscular, skeletal and nervous system.
These root problems can be the cause of many chronic ailments. A difference in leg length by 7mm or 0.275″ can be enough to throw an individual’s spine out of “calibration”.

Shoulder pain can occur when ones side of the body is higher or lower than the opposite side.

Neck pain and headaches can occur when one side of the neck has more tension than the opposite.

Knee, hip and iliotibial band pain can occur when ones body weight is unevenly distributed between the two legs.

Knee pain can occur when ones body weight is unevenly distributed between the two legs.

Ankle pain can occur when ones side of the body is favored due to chronic pain

In 2019, 20.4% of adults had chronic pain and 7.4% of adults had chronic pain that frequently limited life or work activities (referred to as high impact chronic pain) in the past 3 months.

Chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain both increased with age and were highest among adults aged 65 and over.

Non-Hispanic white adults (23.6%) were more likely to have chronic pain compared with non-Hispanic black (19.3%), Hispanic (13.0%), and non-Hispanic Asian (6.8%) adults.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db390.htm

From my experience of over 40 years of martial arts, fitness and wellness training and teaching, I have seen some amazing benefits coming from qigong (yoga), tai chi any many other methods that are considered as “alternative”. For those in fairly good shape, one can develop an amazing amount of strength through out the whole body, but in particular the wrists, forearms, shoulders, lower back and the legs. I have also trained individuals that have had more serious issues such as cerebral palsy, knee injuries, severe trauma to the spine and hip and other ailments that have shown great improvement.

Kinetic linking is a widely known concept, not only relative to health and injuries but also for sports, athletics, martial arts and others. When a cowboy cracks a whip, kinetic linking is what makes the whip crack. Kinetic linking is what allows a baseball pitcher to deliver a 90 mph pitch, where kinetic linking allows the batter to hit the ball out of the park. In martial arts, it is this concept that lets a much smaller and seemingly weaker individual to defend themselves effectively against a much stronger opponent. An example of this would be in hitting someone in the nose with an open hand, while sitting at a table, versus the same person standing up and taking two steps forward while winding up their arm. Then stepping forward while extending their arm, like that whip to the aggressors nose.

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Be more active, eat healthier, sleep better, stress less these are the key components to maintaining a strong immune system.

I am currently offering lectures and classes for group, small group & private instruction in Wekiva, Longwood and Winter Park.Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures and seminars available on my YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

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