Baby's Don't Lift Dumbbells

I took a great course last fall that changed the way I look at my patients.  In essence, it provided a system by which a person's basic movement capacity can by screened, revealing mobility and/or stability deficits.  With all the evaluative and treatment tools that I have accumulated over the years, this is the system that has organized the toolbox.  It's a work in progress, but I'm very excited about the ways that it will help me help YOU to get better, stay better, and move better.  That's why I love doing what I do every day.

Of all the great nuggets I took away from that weekend in Philadelphia, one particular line struck me the most.   "Baby's don't get strong by grabbing miniature dumbbells and doing 3 sets of 10."  Rather, an infant's motor development occurs naturally and intuitively.  They have to earn the right to to reach the next developmental milestone by laying down the wiring sequentially.  Think of the new Freedom Tower as it's going up down town.  Without the preceding floors, the higher ones couldn't be there.  This is the fundamental concept behind the movement assessment to which I'm referring.

As we get older, we do a million things to tangle those well-laid wires.  We assume habitually poor postures, stick to a single lane on the movement highway, and incur injuries for a variety of reasons.  These are just a few ways that we can mess up the software that drives our hardware.  Here's the thing though.  Whether we're rehabilitating ourselves from injury, or we're setting out to "get in shape" with a new year's resolution, odds are we're neglecting our wiring (neuromotor control) and focusing prematurely on the hardware (big, lean muscles!).  Well, if I ask someone to grab some weight and start pushing or pulling it without having some understanding of their basic movement capacity, then aren't I asking them to injure themselves worse?  Or at the very least, prolong their rehabilitation?  Or "get in shape" without actually doing a damn thing about learning how to move well for the long-haul?  The answer is "yes".

Baby's don't walk out of the womb.  The 80th floor of the Freedom Tower doesn't float in the air without support from 1-79.  Next time you want to get in shape or have to undergo rehabilitation, ask yourself if you've "earned the right" to grab that dumbbell.  Get assessed to see how well you REALLY MOVE (or don't for that matter).  You may be surprised.

I'll leave you with this quick example.  If you can't squat like this baby, ask yourself, "Why not?"

James W. Horn, MSPT
Chelsea Physical Therapy
& Rehabilitation
119 W. 23rd Street, Suite 1002
New York, NY 10011
(212) 675-3447