It’s not easy being a physio. No matter where you go, no matter what you are doing, you are always looking. Always checking how people are sitting, always watching people’s posture and always checking out how people are moving. The other day, I realized that maybe I had a problem when I told the young girl at the IGA to make sure she stood up straight and try not to reach so far over the counter. When she just looked at me blankly, I realized that I really need to work on switching off my physio brain.

The one thing I find that I take the most notice of is how people move, their biomechanics. A person’s biomechanics is extremely important. It impacts how much energy it takes for them to run or cycle. It can even predispose a person to injury or pain with activity. In my 20 years of experience as a physio, it is something I have come to love assessing in people and my analysing people’s biomechanics is just something that I can’t turn off. 
Unfortunately, this can sometimes be to my detriment. I love watching the Marvel movies. I love it when the good guys win. One of the favourite Marvel movies in our house is the Captain Marvel movie. Regrettably, the very first time I watched this movie, I noticed immediately that the actress playing Captain Marvel had a particularly poor pattern of running. It is something that I can’t unsee. My poor family get sick of me talking about it.
But, I can’t help it. I want people to move well. To move in a way that makes them less likely to suffer an injury. Besides, I tell my kids, a superhero really should be able to run like Usain Bolt surely? 
How this actress runs predisposes her to having kneecap pain, hip bursitis, shin splints, low back pain, Achilles tendinopathy and much more. And it is something we see everyday at Physique. The way we move is just so very important. 
Physiotherapists are experts at evaluating biomechanics and the impact it may be having on a person’s pain. We love helping people at Physique and we will always address a biomechanical problem if we feel it is stopping our patient from getting better. Our biomechanics can be changed. With the correct exercise and progression of loading, we can actually teach our body to move in a better way, thereby decreasing our likelihood of developing pain.
The next time you are out for a walk or ride or run pay attention to how you are bringing your legs through. The kneecaps should stay pointing forwards and not turn in. Your hips should stay pretty level and your feet should be pointing mainly in the direction that you are going.
And, you know what? If you see a bald, bearded dude stop and stare at you intently as you race on past him, spare him a thought. Maybe, it isn’t some random strange individual, but rather a very obsessed health professional casually analysing the way you move.