The kinetic chain concept in fitness, based largely upon mechanical engineering principles introduced in 1875 by German engineer Franz Reuleaux, describes the interconnectivity of the body’s joints and segments during any movement. The kinetic chain theory proposes that movement in one part of the body produces forces that subsequently get transmitted to adjacent parts, creating a domino effect. This highlights how a holistic approach in training can enhance movement patterns. Implementing the kinetic chain concept can improve fitness recovery, lead to more comprehensive training routines, and boost overall fitness and sports performance.
Injury Here, Pain There
The kinetic chain theory illustrates why pain or discomfort might arise in a part of the body different from the specific muscles one might have recently exercised or to which injury occurred. For example, trainers often must explain to novice clients that their low back pain may possibly have originated from tightness in a seemingly unrelated area, not just the lower back muscles.
Often, the cause of pain or discomfort arises as a result of some past physical trauma such as a car accident or a fall. At the time of a trauma, the myofascial tissue contracts in order to protect that part of the body from further impact. Left untreated, this fascia stays restricted and can cause musculoskeletal imbalances up and down the kinetic chain; this leads to “referred pain” which can occur anywhere along the kinetic chain. For example, pain on one side of the glute muscle might actually have originated in the lower back or at the ankle joint.
Very often tight hamstrings, or tightness in either the feet or hip flexor muscles, can trigger low back pain. This prime example underscores the importance of understanding the kinetic chain and how it can prove effective in fitness recovery, injury prevention and overall health.
Open versus Closed Kinetic Chains
We can break down the concept of kinetic chain activation further by understanding the origins of any particular movement pattern. In an open chain kinetic chain movement, the distal segment of the body –the part furthest from the center of the body – can move freely in space.
Open chain exercises include movements such as a seated leg curl, where the leg moves freely throughout space, or a bicep curl, where the arm freely moves. This type of exercise can help an individual strengthen a targeted area of the body, and facilitates the isolation of specific muscle groups.
Open chain kinetic movements play a key role in the rehabilitation process following an injury to one side of the body. Sometimes a trainer will notice that a client exhibits more strength on one side of the body than the other, or shows greater strength in a bicep curl than a triceps extension. Open chain kinetic exercises can help with such imbalances. They also work to foster a greater range of motion around a joint.
In contrast, closed chain kinetic chain movements involve the distal segment of the body remaining fixed, or in contact with a stable surface. Closed chain exercises typically include full body movements, particularly those that play an integral role in functional movement and core strengthening. An overhead squat exquisitely represents a whole-body kinetic chain exercise: the shoulders support weight above the head, core stabilizers maintain the rigidity necessary to perform the movement, quads come into play, and of course hip flexion. The feet remain firmly planted on the ground, rendering the terminal joint stationary. Other examples include forward and backward lunges as well as push-ups.
Flexibility Improves with Kinetic Activation Technique
We can define flexibility as the ease of movement through a single joint or series of joints, with unrestricted pain- free range of motion (ROM). Reduced hamstring flexibility tends to cause an abundance of discomfort-related issues for many individuals. Physical therapists often encounter this situation when a client’s lifestyle involves prolonged amounts of time in a seated position. In general, sitting causes tension in the fascia of the hamstring, which in turn can lead to dysfunction of the hip, sacroiliac joint and/or joints throughout the lumbar spine. Reduced hamstring flexibility often leads to low back pain, an alteration in the lumbar pelvic rhythm, and may even decrease lumbar and thoracic flexion.
Muscle tissue distributes a large portion of its contractile force onto what we call fascial sheets. Fascia undergoes tension and ultimately reduces the overall functioning of the body movements. Decreased flexibility around the hip joint causes transference of weight bearing forces and movement directly to the spine rather than allowing it to get absorbed by the pelvis. Studies show that by using the kinetic chain activation technique, or kinetic chain release (KCR), trainers and therapists can successfully improve hamstring flexibility, among so many other maladies.
KCR Therapy
Kinetic chain release (KCR) uses a sequence of mobilizations, muscle energy techniques and stretches to return the entire body to a state of homeostatic balance. The technique, developed by physiotherapist Hugh Gilbert, focuses upon the links in the kinetic chain which we now know comprise a series of interconnected and overlapping segments. These segments produce force by pushes or pulls, rendering them prime components of muscle activation. Specifically, the links in the chain include, from bottom to top, the feet/ankles, knees, hip/pelvis, shoulders and the head. The interactions between the joints and muscles form the basis of the concept.
KCR therapy focuses on gentle but effective joint mobilizations and deep muscle tissue stretches to bring the body back into proper alignment. Sports performance as well as energy levels often increase as a result of the physical release accomplished through KCR.
Many patients have successfully utilized KCR to address the following issues ~
- Back/neck/shoulder pain
- Wrist pain
- Sciatic/piriformis pain
- Hip/ knee/ankle pain
- Migraines/tension headaches
- PMS
- IBS/bloating
- Fibromyalgia
- TMJ dysfunction
- Post- pregnancy aches/pains
Connective Tissue Release Therapy
Sometimes even regular KCR therapy fails to fully address or sufficiently alleviate clients’ pain/discomfort. When this occurs, some individuals may wish to consider connective tissue release therapy, or CTR. Connective tissue provides support, binds together, and protects tissues and organs of the body. Interesting enough, to further address the mind-body integration, our connective tissue (also referred to as fascia or myofascial) can “hold onto” memories and emotions, and not in a positive manner.
An injury that one may have suffered as a child can actually “revisit” the body many years later, causing pain and discomfort. The connective tissue hardens and gets “stuck”, so to speak. When a trained professional releases the connective tissue or fascia, it ideally softens and gets more pliable, hopefully reducing the lack of mobility, pain and discomfort experienced by the client. We can think of this process as the human body finally releasing past trauma.
Clients report that such therapy can also bring about an emotional release. Many individuals have reported the sensation of feeling as if they are walking much straighter, feel taller and notice a positive difference in the way they are holding themselves. Others have reported finally enjoying a full night’s sleep for the first time in many years.
Typically performed in conjunction with KCR, therapists typically suggest that clients try at least 2 sessions of KCR to see how their body responds before embarking upon CTR. Similarly to KCR, clients undergoing CTR have reported success with the following ~
- Chronic back/neck pain/sciatica
- Frozen Shoulder
- Pelvic Maladies
- Repetitive use Injuries
- Carpel tunnel syndrome
- Knee/Groin Pain
- Plantar Fasciitis
In cases of past trauma, many clients seek out CTR purely for its mind-healing attributes. Below we list some of the successes clients have experienced ~
- Feeling “freer/lighter”
- Increase in energy
- Increased breathing capacity
- Restoration of muscle function
- Sense of self-healing and relaxation
- Restores the body’s innate therapeutic powers by improving circulation/nervous system transmission
- Unlocking/releasing trapped emotional issues
Tapping Into Trigger Points
A session of CTR therapy addresses what so many of us refer to as “trigger points”. To the trained therapist, these feel like stiff, tight tissue. Once he has identified the knots, he proceeds to apply gentle, constant pressure to these areas. Applied in a slow fashion, this process attempts to lengthen the fascial tissues. The therapist then moves on to kneading and stretching the fascial tissues repeatedly. When he senses the pressure and tension release, he can move on to other parts of the body.
Using only his hands, the trained therapist will find the path of fascial restriction in the patient’s body and push against in a shearing motion, waiting for the tissue to begin sliding. Often the client reports an awareness of feeling the movement of the connective tissue during the therapy. This path of fascial movement can reach the full length of the body and may even cross over between sides. As the path unravels, clients report experiencing a temporary vasomotor response, which appears as a reddish hue on the skin upon restoration of circulation to that area. Treatment always proceeds in a slow and gentle flow, to prevent the body from tightening in a protective response.
The Kinetic Chain in Athletics
The kinetic chain principle provides both the framework for understanding and analyzing human movement patterns. It also offers a rational explanation for having clients engage in exercise conditioning and rehabilitation programs that emphasize the entire body, rather than targeting the joint or anatomical structure suffering the injury.
The goal of nearly all sport-related activities remains constant, whether the athlete excels at throwing, serving, or kicking a ball: to achieve maximal acceleration and the largest possible speed at the end of the linked segments. The theory behind the concept states that motion begins with activation of the more proximal segments, and proceeds to the more distal segments. The distal segment initiates its motion at the time of the maximum speed of the proximal segment. Each succeeding segment from that point on generates greater endpoint speeds than the proximal segment.
Energy Transfer
We can break down the kinetic chain into 3 key components: optimized anatomy, reproducible efficient motor patterns, and the sequential generation of forces. Consider an overhead activity such as serving a tennis ball, for example. Clearly this motion exposes the shoulder to repetitive loads. The segmental activation of the body’s links, through the kinetic chain and mentioned above, allows this to occur seamlessly. The generation of energy from the central segment leads to the appropriate muscle activation, which then transfers the energy to the terminal links of the shoulder, elbow, and hand. With this illustration, we can understand how dysfunction — at any point of the kinetic chain during the serve – can add to the stress placed on distal segments, and therefore has the potential to result in shoulder and elbow problems or injuries.
During an overhead throwing motion, proper trunk movement proves integral to the transfer of energy from the proximal to the distal body segments. Studies have indicated that a reduction in trunk kinetic energy causes an increase in the demand placed upon the distal segment, once again resulting in increased stress placed on the joints of the shoulder and the elbow.
Take-Home Message
Having a basic understanding of the kinetic chain, and how it functions for different muscle groups, will allow personal trainers to not only see areas in a client’s movement patterns that need improvement, but will provide the insight necessary to elevate his athletic capabilities. As with many facets of personal training, we must recognize that our profession differs greatly from that of a sports medicine professional. As such, we must stress to our clients that we cannot legally rehabilitate injuries, or assume liability to treat pathologies that lie outside of our scope of practice. We have an important responsibility to our clients to consistently deliver the best training programs to meet their goals, and not cause further injury.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7174497/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22311288/
https://www.issaonline.com/blog/post/your-guide-to-the-kinetic-chain#
http://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/ijmer/pdf/volume10/volume10-issue1(4)/1.pdf
https://peaceofmind-therapies.co.uk/connective-tissue-release/
Cathleen Kronemer is an NFPT CEC writer and a member of the NFPT Certification Council Board. Cathleen is an AFAA-Certified Group Exercise Instructor, NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer, ACE-Certified Health Coach, former competitive bodybuilder and freelance writer. She is employed at the Jewish Community Center in St. Louis, MO. Cathleen has been involved in the fitness industry for over three decades. Feel free to contact her at trainhard@kronemer.com. She welcomes your feedback and your comments!
