Hey, it’s Jennifer. Today I want to talk about enhanced error correction for working on sub optimal movement patterns. Basically, that just means whatever pattern you’re trying to fix, you first make it worse in order to work on it. I’ll show you what I mean with the example I most often use, which is knee instability.
Let’s say when you do squats, your knees kind of come in together, or, let’s say on a step up, you get a little bit of knee wobble on the way up or that knee kind of flaring in and collapsing. You need to train, most likely, the outside of your hips to keep that knee tracking a little bit more straight over the toes with your step ups or your squats.
With the step up, for example, take a band and anchor it to a sturdy piece of furniture or a pole or something. Then you’re going to put it just above the knee so that it’s pulling your knee in more – which would be making the problem worse. We’ve enhanced our error. Now, you’ve got something to push out into and this wakes up those muscles and reminds them to activate so when you’re doing your step up, you get a little more activation in the muscles you need, to work on keeping that knee steadier.
If you’re doing squats, you could do a similar thing with one leg or take a smaller band and put it around both legs just above the knee. Again, this band is pulling my knees together, so when I squat, I have to push out into it more and activate the correct muscles.
That’s enhanced error correction for knee instability as an example. If you have trouble with wobbly knees while you’re doing squats or step ups or lunges, give it a shot and see what you think.
Here at Peak Endurance Performance & Physical Therapy we help active adults in the Madison Area get back to the activities they love without pain or limitations. We see people of all ages, ability levels, and individuals trying to get back to a multitude of movements including: getting back into running, women postpartum, CrossFit athletes, climbers, gymnasts, wrestlers, overhead athletes, and your recreational weekend warrior. If you’re looking to get back to the activities that give you meaning, relieve stress, and make you feel like you again, feel free to reach out below and we’ll see if we’re the right fit for you.
