The Key to Better Movement: Optimising Joint Function for Whole Body Performance

When you think about moving better, running faster, or lifting more, you probably think of strengthening your muscles. And it’s true—your muscles are important! But here’s something most people don’t realise: your muscles only perform as well as your joints allow!If you only focus on training your muscles and ignore your joints, you’re missing a big part of the picture. Let’s break it down:

What Is Proprioception?

Have you ever closed your eyes and still known exactly where your hand is? That’s proprioception—your body’s way of knowing where it is in space. It’s like your brain and body are constantly talking to each other.

This “conversation” comes from three main places:

– Your eyes
– Your ears (balance centers)
– Your joints and muscles
Your joints, in particular, play a big role in sending signals to your brain. These signals help your body learn, coordinate, and improve movements. For example, when you practice a squat or kick a ball, your brain collects feedback about how it felt. Over time, this feedback helps your body move more effectively—this is how “muscle memory” is built.

But here’s the catch: if a joint is stiff, out of alignment, or damaged, those signals get scrambled. This makes it harder for your brain to execute effiecient movements and perform optimally.

How Joint Health Affects Muscle Strength

Your brain uses the feedback from your joints to decide how much strength, flexibility, and power it can safely allow your muscles to use. If the feedback isn’t reliable, your brain puts the brakes on. This is called the arthrokinetic reflex—a natural response to protect your body from injury. When this reflex is overused for too long, it can often lead to pain which further muddles up those feedback signals and further reduces you strength.

For example: If your hip joint isn’t moving well, your brain might limit how much power your leg muscles can produce during a squat. This may then lead to hip, ankle or knee pain both during and after the exercise. If your shoulder joint is stiff, your brain might reduce your range of motion during a throw. This may then lead to shoulder, elbow or wrist pain.

This protective mechanism is great for preventing injuries close by, but forces other areas to compensate for the lost movement and power. You might feel weaker, less flexible, or less coordinated—even if your muscles are strong.

How to Improve Your Joint-Muscle Connection

The good news? You can improve how your joints communicate with your brain, which boosts your overall performance. Here’s how:

Get Your Joints Moving Properly: Chiropractic adjustments and mobilizations can improve joint alignment and mobility. Specific mobility exercises help keep your joints moving as they should.

Address Muscle Imbalances: Tight or weak muscles can negatively affect your joints. Releasing overactive muscles and strengthening underactive ones restores balance. Often muscles are tight or weak due to neuromuscular inhibition, this is what we test for when we are doing the muscle tests in clinic, we then address this with the specific rehab we provide between sessions.

Practice Controlled Mobility Exercises: Drills like this 90-90 hip mobility exercise can help improve joint feedback. Prior to exercise, leg swings, wrist circles, ankle rotations and other dynamic joint mobility routines will allow you to warm up joints and reduce chance of injury without limiting your strength.

Get Assessed by a Professional: A practitioner can identify which joints or muscles are limiting your movement. This ensures you’re doing the right exercises for your body.

Why This Matters
When your joints move well, your brain gets better feedback. This leads to:
– Stronger and more explosive muscle contractions
– Improved flexibility and range of motion
– Better coordination and reflexes
– Less pain or percieved threat in your system
– Whether you’re an athlete or just want to move more freely, taking care of your joints is a game-changer.

Next Steps:

Want to know if your joints might be holding you back? Book an assessment at Restore Health Clinic today. Together, we’ll figure out the best plan to help you move, perform, and feel your best!