Joint
Bounce

I was first introduced to the concept of bounce one day when, as a corporate banker, I was sprinting across the courtyard to catch an elevator. In the elevator, while catching my breath, a gentleman asked if I was a runner. At the time, I was running 1 mile/day, “Do or Die.” I thought it was a curious question and so asked him what led him to the question. He replied,

“All the good runners bounce when they run.”

At the time, his comment didn’t mean anything to me, but I now understand and in fact know that I’m “getting back in the groove” when my legs bounce in the hip socket when I run.

I was also delighted to hear the Rio Olympic marathon commentators talking about Kipchoge’s “bounce.” Kipchoge won the men’s marathon decisively and even completed mile 23 with a 4:40 time…And so, he’s a running god in my mind.

By the way, the reason why I am so aware of Kipchoge’s mile 23 time is that I foolishly thought to keep pace during my elliptical workout with the men’s marathon runners… I thought it would be inspiring and help me get closer to reclaiming my past times. I was feeling great until I heard Kipchoge’s time. Oh my. I kept going, but smiled that I would get inspired by other aspects of Kipchoge’s story.

“Ultimately, our body is best when all of our ligaments and muscle tendons have bounce.”

Here’s the idea…your leg bone is held in it’s hip capsule by a collection of ligaments further supported by your muscles and their tendons. If your ligaments and your leg bone support system are “healthy and happy,” they are elastic and have bounce AKA the ability to “give and go” with every step we take.

Unfortunately, when we have “off muscle mechanics” – for example, if you walk with an out-turned foot – AKA when you walk like a duck – your body will adapt by “locking you” in place.

Here’s what I mean, your ideal body and muscle mechanics for walking means that your foot is straight AKA in a neutral position. If you walk with an out-turned foot, when it comes down to it, you’re walking with muscle mechanics that are “just-off.”

The good news and the bad news is that your body is committed to “being there for you” and adapting to “your new way” even though it’s less than ideal for your longevity and pain freedom.

This adaptation usually means that your ligaments will sacrifice their elasticity to “lock in” and hold your leg in place in support of your out-turned foot habit.

In other words, if you walk with an out-turned foot, your leg bone will have to externally rotate to make your “duck walk” possible. And the only way your body can support that movement habit is to sacrifice your ligament and “bounce.”

And if you’ve lost your bounce, you’ll experience on-going hip pain and discomfort.”

But the good news, I can help you get your bounce back!