Movement & Neuroscience Nugget: Interlimb Neural Coupling / Opposing Joint Theory
Recently I have been using a neurology drill that I’ve experimented with on myself, with my 1:1 clients and group classes. To my great surprise SO MANY people got such immediate and fab results with it (myself included) that it would be rude not to share this.
Interlimb Neural Coupling also known as Opposing Joint Theory might sound complicated but it’s really, really easy to implement and test out for yourself. In case you haven’t already sussed it out, joint mobility has become more prioritised in many movement practices. This is because it has the capacity to:
Increase strength and flexibility, minimising restricted movement
Reduce risk of injury
Work with an existing injury or trauma/muscle tightness due to surgery (say post operation)
Reduce pain
Many people experience joint injuries, joint pain and limited range of motion. Movement can be an effective way to work directly with these injured or restricted joints. However, sometimes it can prove tricky especially if we’re experiencing pain in that joint. So, what else can we do?
This is where Interlimb Neural Coupling can be particularly helpful. Essentially there is a brain-based (neurological) and body-based (biomechanical) connection between opposing joints. This means you can increase your capacity for motion in one joint by moving another joint that is ‘coupled’ with.
E.g. Your right shoulder and your left hip are coupled joints. Let’s say you had a right shoulder injury, it was put in a cast so you couldn’t move it. However, during the time it was healing under the cast you regularly did left hip mobilisations. You’d be likely have more range of motion in your right shoulder when the cast is removed and you could improve your mobility in that joint more quickly. Improving mobility after injury is helpful because moving a joint (within its pain-free range of motion) assists the repair process. It gets synovial fluid into it with nutrients for repairs, and it also gets blood flowing in the area which is beneficial for the surrounding tissues.
Even if you aren’t injured, you can also use this to increase strength and mobility to reduce the risk of injury and increase the pain-free range of motion in joints by doing the opposing motion in the opposite joint. For example, you can increase your right knee flexion (bending the joint) by using a left elbow extension (straightening the joint). Please bear in mind that this will work differently for each person and there are a couple of different ways to apply this. It may be best for you straighten the left elbow (elbow extension) while working on bending the right knee (knee flexion), or maybe it’s better to use left elbow extension movements before doing right knee flexion movements.
To help visualise what parts of our bodies are coupled, here’s a short list of some opposing joints:
Opposite Wrist and Ankle
Opposite Elbow and Knee
Opposite Shoulder and Hip
Upper-Middle Spine and Lower Spine
Cervical Spine (Neck) and Pelvis
Temporomandibular Joint (the joint that connects jawbone with skull) and Tailbone
Now, here’s a short list of opposing motions you can utilise:
Bending and Straightening
Adduction and Abduction (moving a body part towards the midline of the body, and moving a body part away from the midline)
Internal Rotation/External Rotation of limbs e.g. thigh rotating inwards/outwards and upper arm rotating inwards/outwards
If you’re not familiar with how these motions look at each joint my suggestion would be to google it, So terms like ‘shoulder flexion’ may not mean much to you right now, so to get a better idea of what these terms mean check out good old Google. I’ve tried my best to put this in easy to understand language without sounding too technical or clinical, hopefully I’ve succeeded so the message lands. If you’re unsure, get in touch and I’ll do my best to help you out.