About Chiropractic and Osteopathy
9th September 2026
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Every day, your body performs thousands of movements without you even thinking about it. Walking up stairs, picking up groceries, or reaching for something on a high shelf. These actions might seem simple, but they’re all built on seven fundamental movement patterns. Understanding these patterns can help you move better, prevent your injuries, and reduce your pain. As your healthcare provider, I want to share how mastering these movements can transform your daily life.
The squat is like sitting in an invisible chair. You use this pattern every time you sit down or stand up. This movement strengthens your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core, providing a solid foundation for balance and posture.
When you squat properly, your knees bend and track over your toes. Your hips push back like you’re reaching for a chair behind you. This pattern is crucial because weak squatting can lead to your knee pain and back problems. Recent research shows that poor quality movement patterns increase your risk of injury, making proper squat technique essential for your health.
The hinge movement happens at your hips, not your back. Think about bending over to pick up your keys or tie your shoes. This movement targets the body’s powerhouse – the posterior chain, which includes the glutes and hamstrings.
When you hinge correctly, your hips move backward while your spine stays straight. This protects your lower back from injury. Many people make the mistake of bending their spine instead of their hips. This poor pattern can cause your back pain and increase your injury risk. Hinging is one of the most essential movement patterns for lifting, playing sports, and general health outcomes.
Lunges are like taking a big step forward, backward, or to the side. You use this pattern when climbing stairs, stepping over puddles, or getting out of a low car. Lunges are crucial for balance, flexibility, and unilateral strength, helping build coordination and stability.
This movement trains each leg separately, which helps fix imbalances between your left and right sides. When one side is weaker, you can develop compensation patterns that lead to your pain and injury.
Pushing movements send force away from your body. Opening heavy doors, pushing a shopping cart, or doing push-ups all use this pattern. Push patterns engage the chest, shoulders, and triceps, fundamental for upper body strength and functionality.
There are two types of pushing: vertical (overhead) and horizontal (in front of you). Both are important for your daily activities and injury prevention. Weak pushing patterns can lead to your shoulder problems and poor posture.
Pulling movements bring things toward your body. Starting your lawnmower, opening doors, or pulling groceries from your car trunk all use pulling patterns. These movements balance out your pushing patterns and are essential for your posture.
Most people are stronger at pushing than pulling because we spend so much time hunched forward. This imbalance can cause your neck pain, shoulder problems, and upper back tension. Strengthening your pulling patterns helps reverse these issues.
Rotation involves twisting your torso. You use this pattern when looking over your shoulder while driving, swinging a golf club, or reaching across your body. Rotation is essential for transferring power from your lower half through your core and out through your upper half, and is arguably the most important of the 7 movement patterns.
Many exercise programs ignore rotation, but it’s crucial for your spinal health. Poor rotational patterns can lead to your back pain and reduce your athletic performance. Most human motion involves some form of rotation, whether during workouts or everyday life.
Gait is your walking and running pattern. It also includes carrying objects while you move. Whether it’s walking, running, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries, we’re using locomotion. This is the most frequently used movement pattern in your daily life.
Poor gait patterns can cause problems throughout your body. Your foot position affects your knees, which affects your hips, which affects your back. When your walking pattern is off, you can develop pain anywhere in your kinetic chain.
Recent medical research shows the critical importance of these movement patterns. A 2023 study found that people with low-quality movement patterns had an increased risk of injury, with preventative strategies needing to include shaping high-quality movement patterns. Another study revealed that an elevenfold increase in the risk of injury was found in people with low-quality movement patterns.
Advanced technologies now allow clinicians to identify movement patterns known to place an athlete at risk for injury, leading to a paradigm shift toward “preventative biomechanics.” This means we can now predict and prevent your injuries before they happen by improving how you move.
When you perform these patterns incorrectly, several things can happen:
Research shows that an 8-week injury prevention exercise program can significantly reduce movement patterns associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury risk. This proves that you can retrain your movement patterns to reduce your injury risk.
The good news is that you can improve your movement patterns with proper guidance. Movement analysis can identify biomechanical inefficiencies that increase injury risk, helping to contribute to overall health. During our sessions, I assess how you perform these seven patterns and identify areas that need improvement.
We start with basic versions of each movement and gradually progress to more challenging variations. For example, we might begin with bodyweight squats before adding resistance. The key is building quality movement before adding intensity.
Training duration is an important factor when designing injury prevention programs that facilitate long-term changes in movement control. This means consistent practice over time is essential for lasting improvements in your movement quality.
The seven fundamental movement patterns of squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull, rotation, and gait, form the foundation of all human movement. When you master these movement patterns, you move better, feel better, and reduce your risk of injury. Poor movement pattern quality increases your risk of injury and can lead to pain and dysfunction.
Recent research confirms that improving your movement patterns is one of the most effective ways to prevent injuries and optimize your health. Through hands-on assessment and personalized treatment, we can identify your movement dysfunctions and create a plan to help you move with confidence and without pain.
Scott has more than 20 years of clinical experience as a movement expert and musculoskeletal health professional. His thorough understanding of how pain affects your spine, joints, muscles, and total well-being is the result of significant academic study and many many years of clinical experience. Scott’s real interest in movement mechanics enables him to develop individualised care plans that summarise complex problems into clear, simple treatments, leading to quicker healing times. His friendly, attentive approach ensures that you not only comprehend but also feel supported throughout your treatment journey, allowing you to return to the things you like with restored confidence and vitality.
