How do we get unstuck?

By Peter Stamos

Our habits shape the way we move.

We tend to sit in similar positions, use the same hand for everyday tasks, participate in the same activities, and repeat many of the same movements day after day.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with repetition. In fact, becoming efficient at frequently performed movements is one of the ways our bodies adapt.

The problem can occur when we become very good at using one strategy but have difficulty accessing others.

Your Body Adapts to What You Do

Think about everything you repeatedly do throughout the day.

You may always carry a bag on the same shoulder, stand on the same leg, rotate toward the same side, use the same hand, or sit in a similar position.

Sports can reinforce these patterns even further. Golf, tennis, baseball, throwing, and many other activities involve repeatedly performing movements in one direction.

Over time, these experiences can influence how comfortable and familiar certain positions and movements feel.

That doesn’t mean these patterns are bad.

They simply become part of your movement history.

When a Pattern Becomes a Limitation

A preferred movement strategy becomes more interesting when you have difficulty moving outside of it.

For example, you may rotate easily toward one side but struggle toward the other. You may balance comfortably on one leg but feel unstable on the opposite side.

Or you may repeatedly shift toward the same side during squats, lunges, or other exercises.

Those differences don’t automatically tell us what’s causing the limitation.

They give us a place to start looking.

Don’t Assume the Tight Area Is the Problem

When a movement feels restricted, it’s tempting to immediately stretch whatever feels tight.

Sometimes that helps.

But a restriction can be influenced by several factors, including joint mobility, muscle function, previous injuries, sensory information, body position, and the demands of the movement itself.

That’s why stretching or strengthening one area doesn’t always create a lasting change.

Instead, we can change different variables and observe how the movement responds.

Create More Movement Options

The goal isn’t to eliminate your preferred movement patterns.

Your body developed those strategies for a reason, and many of them are useful.

Instead, training can help you develop additional options.

That might involve moving in different directions, changing stance or foot position, altering range of motion, changing load, or introducing movements you don’t perform as frequently.

Then we retest.

If the original movement improves, we’ve learned something useful.

If it doesn’t, we keep investigating.

Key Takeaway

Being “stuck” doesn’t necessarily mean something is damaged or that one muscle or joint needs to be corrected.

Sometimes you’ve simply become very efficient at using certain movement strategies while having less access to others.

Rather than trying to eliminate your preferred patterns, the goal is to understand them and build more movement options around them.

The more options you have, the better able you may be to adapt when the task or environment changes.

Continue Learning

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