What Is External Rotation?

Last week we talked about internal rotation (IR) and its use in performance and training. This week, we are discussing external rotation (ER) and what we use it for. Follow along on Instagram to see examples of ER in the body, how we regain ER with hip emphasis, and how to train ER for high performance.

Just like IR, ER is important for performance and reducing the risk of injury. ER is defined as the rotation of a bone away from midline. More importantly, ER is associated with global flexion, supination at the foot, and abduction (limbs moving away from midline). These motions are all helpful for creating space in the joints and allowing us to “yield” or absorb motion and force.

Imagine someone jumping out of a tree and landing. We would not expect someone in this scenario to stiffen their joints and “bounce” out of this landing like in doing a plyometric. The results would be catastrophic. Instead, we would expect global flexion, abduction, supination, and external rotation. In other words, their hips would flex, their spine would flex, their knees would flex, and so-on. This flexion is combined with these other motions to help create space in the joint and room to absorb the force.

It is vital in sport and training to have the capacity to move into these yielding positions, especially external rotation, to absorb forces and prevent injury. Let’s take a closer look at how we can prepare our bodies for yielding!

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Focus 1: What is ER? (Monday Post)

Yielding vs. Overcoming. We need to be able to do both to perform well and prevent injury. ER is more associated with yielding and force absorption, while overcoming is more IR and creating downforce. Check out the Monday Instagram post to see examples of yielding and overcoming movement we can train in the gym.

Focus 2: How to regain ER, hip focus (Wednesday Post)

We can take advantage of certain exercises to help create more access to ER in the hip and lower extremity. Strategic exercise modification helps us create access to ER space so we can use it when we need it, helping us perform better and decrease injury risk.

Focus 3: Putting external rotation to work (Friday Post)

Friday’s post will showcase some yielding and overcoming exercises that will help us train the range of motion and force absorption/ creation necessary for sport and exercise. It is vital that we can take these concepts and train them with an emphasis on speed and performance! Learn how to build that capacity in Friday’s post.

Closing

External rotation is not just an anatomical reference. It is vital to force absorption and associated with flexion, abduction, and supination. We cannot expect ourselves to perform at our best without appreciating the significance of yielding and force absorption. Combine this week’s topic with the previous ones and you are well on your way to improving your lower extremity performance and preventing injury!

If you have any questions or have pain that is holding you back, reply to this email or call us! We are happy to help.

Phone: (585)478-4379

Website: www.integratedrpc.com