A movement for movement
Disclaimer: This is an opinion blog. I may use clinical knowledge and experience as a Physiotherapist to develop this content. I will also cite resources where appropriate. However, this content does not replace nor seek to replace the consultation with a Physiotherapist or other healthcare professional for your health concerns.
I'm glad that you're here! There's something that I want to share with you, something that I'm excited about and that I hope you're excited about too:
A movement for changing how we think and talk about movement.
Let's start by understanding what movement is. Technically, it's the change in the position of an item. As an example, for a handshake, you move your hand from your side to out in front of you and emphatically grip another person's hand and forcefully move it up and down. If it were not a socially acceptable custom, one might think that it sounds a bit uncouth. However, I'm not so sure that we'll get anywhere by talking about the technical definition. Instead, let's talk about what movement actually MEANS to us. To understand this, I suggest that we look into the meaning behind the motion.
I suggest that we look into the meaning behind the motion
What is so critical about that handshake? Nothing right now because, you know, COVID. I'm not a sociologist, but I'm sure it has something to do with humans being social creatures and our need to connect with those like us. Indeed, as a Physiotherapist, people usually come to see me when their pain or injury limits their ability to engage with others in their life. The impact of function on social interaction was so significant that in 2001, the World Health Organization developed a way for healthcare providers to shift their view of health from a person's diagnosis to a person's function (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), 2020). Now, healthcare providers can look at their patients more holistically and think about a person's ability to participate in the community in the long-term.
People usually come to see me when their pain or injury limits their ability to engage with others in their life.
For some people, being able to move means winning the next marathon. For others, it means being able to cook for their family. Sometimes it means more independence with walking or dressing. To me, movement is freedom. Having had injuries throughout my life, I know how frustrating it is to not be able to do what you want to do. I've been able to make a full recovery from some injuries such that I never knew I had an injury in the first place. A lot of my other injuries were humbling, and they showed me that even though I can still do a lot of things, I just need to prioritize that which is of most importance to me.
Take a 10-second pause and think about why movement is so crucial for you. What would be most distressing if you couldn't move like you wanted to?
These are the conversations that need to be had. Instead of us talking about why being able to move is essential to us, and working towards being able to do those things, I've found that the opposite is true in most conversations. In my experience, there are usually two camps: those that love to move with the sheer goal of high fitness and those that choose to spend their time being less active. When we spend time talking to those in either extreme, it is easy to see the contempt that each group has for the other. Regardless of whether one camp is right and the other is wrong, there is a distinct lack of a group in the middle.
There is a distinct lack of a group in the middle.
A middle group would seek to bridge the gap between both extremes with a mantra: to move is to live. This is the camp that I am trying to build and draw attention to. If the majority of us thought that we could live the lives we wanted to by improving and maintaining our movement sustainably, imagine what the world would look like. What would our offices and workspaces look like? How would it change the way we design our cities and suburbs? Would there be a stigma against those who were unable to move, or would they be given appropriate supports so they could move with their fullest potential?
I want to help build a world in which most people genuinely understand human movement such that we prioritize it when developing our societies, communities, and organizations. In this world, people will know who to go to and be provided with appropriate support when they need help to gain and maintain movement or to regain lost movement.
This blog is just the beginning. My hope is for this blog to be the start of helping people genuinely understanding what human movement is. From there, the possibilities are endless. What could we achieve collectively, if we put our heads together to help each other move well and reach our full potential? That's what I want to know, it's something that I can't wait to be a part of.
As for you, ask yourself what role you want to play in this movement. Regardless of your answer, I'm excited to have you along for the ride.
Until next time!
References
World Health Organization. 2020. International Classification Of Functioning, Disability And Health (ICF). [online] Available at: <https://www.who.int/classifications/icf/en/> [Accessed 7 May 2020].