Key Movement Patterns That Prevent Injury

Elite Performance Clinic • December 2025

Understanding which movements break down first and why certain muscles become insufficient is the key to staying injury-free for life.

Most injuries don't happen suddenly—they're the result of years of faulty movement patterns and muscle imbalances that finally reach a breaking point. At Elite Performance Clinic, we identify these patterns early and correct them before they cause pain or dysfunction.

The Four Foundational Movement Patterns

Every functional human movement falls into one of four categories: squat, hinge, push, and pull. When these patterns break down, compensations develop that eventually lead to injury.

The principle: Your body will complete the movement you're attempting by any means necessary. If the correct muscles can't do the job, other muscles and joints will compensate—often with disastrous long-term consequences.

Pattern 1: The Squat

The squat pattern governs how you sit, stand, and absorb force through your lower body. When it breaks down, knees, hips, and lower back pay the price.

Weak glute medius and maximus create knee valgus—knees caving in—which increases ACL injury risk and causes patellofemoral pain. Poor ankle dorsiflexion forces excessive forward knee travel and shifts load to the low back.

The injury cascade: Weak glutes → knee valgus → increased ACL stress → meniscus wear → chronic knee pain → eventual surgery. This progression takes years but is entirely preventable.

Corrective movements include goblet squats with pause at bottom, banded squats to activate glute medius, ankle mobility drills, and single-leg box squats to identify asymmetries.

Pattern 2: The Hinge

The hinge pattern controls how you bend, lift, and produce power. This is where most low back injuries originate—not because the back is weak, but because the hips aren't doing their job.

Weak or inhibited hamstrings shift the load to the lumbar spine during lifting and running. Underactive glutes fail to extend the hip properly, forcing excessive lumbar extension.

The injury cascade: Weak posterior chain → excessive lumbar flexion when bending → disc stress → facet joint irritation → chronic low back pain → loss of hip mobility → surgery or permanent dysfunction.

Corrective movements include Romanian deadlifts, single-leg RDLs, glute bridges and hip thrusts, and deadbugs for anti-extension core control.

Pattern 3: The Push

Pushing movements require coordinated scapular control and rotator cuff stability. When these break down, shoulder impingement and chronic pain follow.

Weak serratus anterior causes scapular winging and shoulder impingement. Overactive upper traps and underactive lower traps create shoulder elevation during pressing.

The injury cascade: Poor scapular control → shoulder impingement → rotator cuff irritation → compensatory neck tension → chronic shoulder pain → labral tears or rotator cuff surgery.

Corrective movements include wall slides and floor slides, push-up plus to activate serratus anterior, banded face pulls, and thoracic spine mobility drills.

Pattern 4: The Pull

Pulling patterns maintain shoulder health and postural integrity. Modern desk work destroys this pattern, creating rounded shoulders and weak upper backs.

Weak rhomboids and mid-traps allow scapular protraction and forward head posture. Underactive lats eliminate shoulder stability during overhead movements.

The injury cascade: Weak posterior shoulder → forward head posture → neck strain → shoulder impingement → reduced overhead capacity → chronic upper body dysfunction.

Corrective movements include rows in all variations, banded pull-aparts, dead hangs and pull-up progressions, and prone T-Y-W exercises.

The Assessment Process at EPC

• Deep squat pattern with overhead reach for mobility and stability
• Single-leg stance for balance and hip control
• Hip hinge mechanics under load
• Shoulder mobility in all planes of motion
• Core stability and anti-rotation capacity
• Asymmetries between left and right sides

The Bottom Line

Your body moves in patterns, not individual muscles. When foundational patterns are clean and muscles fire correctly, you stay healthy. When they break down, injury is inevitable.

At Elite Performance Clinic, we don't wait for pain to appear. We identify faulty patterns early, correct muscle insufficiencies, and build movement quality that lasts.

Ready to identify and fix your movement patterns before they cause injury?

Call (818) 646-0040 Book Movement Assessment