I’d love to take this opportunity to introduce the MMIM Community to Brent Brookbush, PT, DPT, MS, PES, CES, CSCS, ACSM H/FS. Brent is a breath of fresh air in our industry and even though he is a new grad to the PT world, he brings a ton of knowledge into rehab from his strength/conditioning background. Brent has a unique skill set of taking daunting Human Anatomy and making it simple, and most importantly, functional. Enjoy this 1st of many guest blogs from Brent where he introduces himself and lays the framework of why Functional Anatomy is important and critical. As usual, for more Info on MMIM visit Medical Minds In Motion, LLC
-Rick
“The Brookbush Institute of Human Movement Science was created to enhance the delivery of evidence-based, practical education in human movement science. Most of our content is concerned with exercise and technique selection, routine design, assessment, etc. – the very application of the science in our field. With that being said, the fastest growing section of our online education platform is the portion dedicated to “Functional Anatomy” (Introduction to Functional Anatomy & Integrated Muscular Anatomy). Despite the fact that I’m as drawn as you are to new and innovative techniques, I have come to realize that understanding when to apply those techniques, understanding the intent of those techniques, and comprehension of the concepts with which those techniques were developed, is dependent upon on a strong knowledge of anatomy. Just as anyone can swing around a scalpel, it takes a surgeon’s knowledge of anatomy to use that scalpel in a manner that is effective. It could be said that a repertoire of effective techniques and assessments lies just beyond a conceptual doorway, and that functional anatomy is the key to that door.
Why “Functional” anatomy over traditional “Anatomy & Physiology”: Functional Anatomy implies a bias toward the subcategories of anatomy that specifically apply to human motion. It’s one thing to know that the trapezius originates from the external occipital protuberance to T12 and inserts on the spine of the scapula, acromion and clavicle, but it is another to know that the upper and lower trapezius work synergistically with the serratus anterior to upwardly rotate the scapula and ensure optimal acromioclavicular joint arthrokinematics. Further, all 3 of these muscles have a propensity toward under-activity in those individuals who exhibit upper body dysfunction, and due to this propensity may be the target of activation, integration, neuromuscular re-education and taping techniques. Further, these muscles have an effect on other joints, nerves and fascial structures – knowing how these structures are affected by dysfunction that may have originated with a change in the length and behavior of the trapezius, may provide us with a list of additional techniques that improve carry-over, or may simply be necessary for the more “stubborn” patient complaint. And that’s just one long-winded example…
If I may say with the utmost humility and respect for what we do, most of the concepts we build our interventions upon are fairly simple. Reciprocal inhibition, synergistic dominance, movement impairment, altered activity, adaptive length change, relative flexibility, compensation patterns, recruitment, release, stretching, mobilization, activation, integration, neuromuscular re-education, taping, IASTM, dry-needling, etc… can all be explained in a paragraph or less and often can be summarized in a sentence or less. But again, the concepts are just the doors to learning a repertoire of effective techniques and assessments, and our knowledge of functional anatomy is the key.
Where does that leave us? Dedicating time to increasing our knowledge of functional anatomy should likely consume the same amount of time that we dedicate to reading and understanding research in the pursuit of evidence-based practice. In essence, research refines our practice of techniques, built upon a foundation of functional anatomy knowledge. As an educator, I am excited about the opportunities a partnership with MMIM will provide. I can continue to build upon our library of foundational material, providing Rick Daigle and his faculty with a resource they can refer workshops participants too – leaving more time for practical education and lab in live workshops. I also look forward to gaining insight from the ingenuity of his staff, as they provide the Brookbush Institute with more great techniques for our library of practical content.”
Sincerely,
Brent Brookbush, President and Founder
DPT, PT, MS, PES, CES, CSCS, ACSM H/FS
Brookbush Institute of Human Movement Science
Brent@BrookbushInsitute.com
Medical Minds In Motion 