The Kinetic Chain

In the second half of the book, we will look into the details of various regions of our bodies, assessing the effects of prolonged sitting at the local level. I anticipate that, at some point of our discussion, readers may start to get bogged down with the intricacies and peculiarities of certain conditions, especially if they recognize their own problems among the topics discussed. To avoid compartmentalization and to keep ourselves focused, I would like to introduce the concept of the kinetic chain – yet another way to demonstrate the interconnectedness and the wholesomeness of our internal systems and structures. As in the prior example of the artist who creates a large mural, you will often have to change your perspective to be able to see what we are working with/on. While dealing with small details, we must not forget to regularly step back and assess the grand view of things – the big picture.

For visual learners and those who prefer to learn through practice (kinesthetically), the following example will help you start appreciating the concept of the kinetic chain within the context of everyday movement.

Imagine if I were to hand you a baseball or a tennis ball and ask you to throw it as far as you can; prior to doing that, however, I also ask you to describe what part(s) of the body will be involved in this action. Most of us would mention the hand, the arm, and, perhaps, the shoulder, but not too many people will be able to draw a connection to the back, the glutes, the legs, the knees, and even the toes.

So, go ahead: step outside and give it a try. Or watch this slow-motion video of a baseball pitcher. Pay attention to the foot placement, the leg work, the body twist, the arm swing, and the rotation. Keep watching all the way to the whole body’s follow-through motion, spanning from the toes to the fingers after the release of the ball. Perhaps most of us don’t get this technical when we throw a ball, but we definitely use morre than just an arm to accomplish the task. All the parts of the body – all the bones, joints, muscles, and the connective tissues that envelopes them – are part of the continuous chain that makes it possible to produce a powerful movement.

Pitching in Slow Motion

We easily underestimate the body’s internal workings and the relationships between our various parts in even the simplest movements we perform every day. Let’s take look at it from another perspective.

To understand the role each part of your body plays as you perform an action, you can try performing this particular action while restricting the movement of one or a few joints that mobilize (bring into motion) a given portion of the kinetic chain. For example, to demonstrate the importance of your lower body as you throw a ball, you can try to do so while sitting on the floor.

Practical Example: 

Sit down on the floor and rest your back against a wall. Extend your legs in front of you, relaxing your body from the hips down. What you have basically achieved by doing this is cutting your kinetic chain in half at the hip line. 

Try to throw a ball as far as you can while sitting on the floor. Notice how uncomfortable it feels not to use the whole kinetic chain, as well as how it affects the power of your movement and the distance the ball travels.

Other ways to experiment:

  • Imagine (or try) running with your arms raised straight up (be careful, especially if you have problems with balance and movement control).
  • Kick a ball with your foot without swinging your arms, keeping your arms parallel to your body at all times, or without bending your knees.

In each case, we introduce a restriction that gives us discomfort and affects our performance. Have you noticed that, with the introduction of restrictions, you started using other parts of the body or muscles that aren’t usually engaged in this action? This is your body’s attempt to compensate for the missing segments of the kinetic chain, a.k.a the body’s compensation patterns that may manifest in such situations.

Now you see how seemingly unrelated parts of the body can affect each other. We will introduce more examples later in the book, especially when we get to the practical part. I’m sure that, just like when we were talking about the internal systems and their symbiotic relationships, it has become more apparent that there’s no clear line separating one part of the body from another; rather, they are all linked to one continuous chain of interacting parts and each can contribute to the mutual effort of controlling your body either in motion, in stabilization, or both.