Why Crawling Fixes
Everything
Provided
by American
Council on Exercise
Have
you ever met a baby with back pain? How about a toddler with tight hips?
Considering these and other ailments seem to be a common side effect of aging,
do infants and toddlers hold the secrets to being forever supple?
It’s important to note that many factors make
infants and children so mobile and devoid of the aches and pains that many
adults experience. Some key movements they perform on a regular basis, however,
help “grease the groove” to create strength, stability and mobility.
It’s not surprising, then, that the fitness and
rehab fields have seen a boost in the popularity of infant movement patterns.
Exercises involving rolling, rocking, squatting and crawling are used to get
people out of pain, while providing them with a unique movement challenge.
One of the most popular movements is the crawl,
and it is used for everything from ADHD treatment to a grueling, fat-blasting
exercise. For years, I have used the crawl in personal-training programs, both
as an assessment tool and as a “cure all” for clients ranging from children to
professional athletes.
Introducing infantile movement patterns to
adults often takes a bit of a “sell” on the personal trainer’s part. However,
once clients experience the challenge and, more importantly, the results of
this “magic” movement, all doubt is put to rest.
The crawl pattern offers a variety of benefits
for nearly every part of the body. Read on to learn how moving like a baby can
offer big-time results for adults.
Crawling and the Brain
The brain and body have a back-and-forth,
plastic relationship. The brain develops so the neural system can tell the body
to do more stuff. The body does more stuff, which sends feedback to the brain
and causes the brain to develop more. This relationship continues for life.
Crawling requires both sides of the brain to
work together, because limbs on both sides of the body have to move
synchronously (called a contralateral movement pattern). To make this happen,
information must be passed through a “highway” that links the two sides or
hemispheres of the brain called the corpus callosum.
When a lot of information has to be passed
through the corpus callosum (as it does during a crawl pattern), new neural
connections must be formed and strengthened. It appears this can help improve
coordination, learning, and even behavior in both kids and adults.
Crawling and the Shoulder
Complex
Unfortunately, becoming an adult is often
synonymous with sitting at desks and cars. Joints that don’t move become stiff,
painful and unhappy. Additionally, the muscles around inactive joints become
weak and unable to properly stabilize and mobilize. Other muscles are often
recruited to do the work.
Crawling requires the scapulae and other joints
involved with shoulder movement to move in a proper pattern. At the same time,
a small amount of compression is placed on these joints while supporting the
upper body against gravity. This small amount of compression is often just
enough to fire proprioceptors that reignite muscles involved with stability and
mobility. The result is more mobility, less rigidity and pain.
Crawling and the Hands
Our hands have a disproportionate supply of
nerves compared to much of the rest of the body. Manual dexterity is extremely
important to being human. Unfortunately, the hands that were once used to chop
wood, pick up heavy stuff and thread needles now spend most of the time
striking a keyboard.
Crawling (particularly when actively gripping
the ground) provides proprioceptive feedback from the palms of the hands, which
keep these valuable appendages strong and dexterous.
Crawling and the Core
You know that the core is not so much a muscle,
but a relationship of the anterior/posterior shoulder, hip and trunk. During
contralateral patterns, this entire relationship is engaged. As the hand makes
contact with the floor and the shoulder extensors engage, the alternate hip
must also engage. The “core” relationship is responsible for making sure energy
is transferred across the midline of the body smoothly and synchronously.
Those with poor core stability will display a
pronounced “wagging” of the hips as they crawl. This could be an underlying
issue stemming from a variety of issues.
Crawling and the Hip Complex
Again, all sitting and no play makes for
unhappy joints. Inactivity makes the muscles that flex, extend, rotate, adduct
and abduct the hips stop firing properly. Merely getting into the crawl
position and rocking the hips back toward the heels, like an infant does prior
to crawling, functions to help the mobility of the hip complex.
Initiating a moving crawl triggers dormant
muscles in the hips to mobilize and stabilize to match and accommodate the
upper-body motions on the other side of the midline. This helps the hips move
better, which results in not only healthier hips, but also a healthier lumbar
spine.
As you can see, the crawl pattern packs a lot
of bang for its buck. Start in the “all-fours” infant position, and then
progress to lifting the knees off the floor. Ensure that clients can do the
movement properly, without excessively elevating the hips. Add multidirectional
challenges, obstacles and other variables to progressively make the movement
more challenging.
It’s important to note that while the crawl
pattern can be an effective movement pattern, it’s not for everyone. Those with
inflexible wrists, painful knees or other pathologies that make the movement
painful should avoid crawling. Additionally, the movement might be embarrassing
or excessively unpleasant for some. Once again, avoid anything that doesn’t
result in physical, mental and emotional improvements for your client.
Sometimes, moving forward requires a return to
the basics. Try the crawl pattern with your clients to help them feel, move and
live better.
Author
Brett
Klika
Brett Klika, CEO of SPIDERfit Kids (www.spiderfitkids.com) and
an IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year is a personal trainer, author, and
international motivational speaker inspiring men, women, and children around
the world to create a culture of wellness in their home and live the best
version of their life. Contact Brett with questions or comments at
brett@spiderfitkids.com.