Movement Starts at the Joint – Not the Muscle

At The Body Lab in Canberra, we go beyond muscle tightness. Discover why movement starts with your joints, how your nervous system sets your posture, and what to do if you’re stuck in pain, tension, or poor mobility.

Here’s something most people don’t realise:

Your joints initiate movement.

Your muscles respond to support that movement.

We’ve been taught to think of muscles as the “prime movers” — but in reality, it’s the joint position that determines how your muscles behave. If a joint can’t move properly, the muscle either can’t contract fully or ends up doing way more than it’s designed to.

This concept is a huge part of how I assess and treat people at The Body Lab. It explains why people can have chronic tightness, recurring injuries, or performance plateaus — even with good strength and mobility routines.

Think of It Like This:

Muscles are reactive.

They turn on (or off) based on the joint’s position and movement.

If your hip joint is stuck or your spine doesn’t rotate properly, your muscles still try to make the movement happen — but it’s no longer efficient. That’s when you get tightness, fatigue, or strain.

Common Misunderstanding: Tight Muscles Must Be Stretched

Let’s take the classic case of tight hamstrings.

Everyone’s first instinct? Stretch them.

But often, those hamstrings are already lengthened and overactive — trying to stabilise a pelvis that isn’t moving well.
Stretching them just adds more strain to an already overworked system. What we should be doing instead is asking:

Why is the muscle tight in the first place?

Which joint isn’t doing its job?

Muscles Follow Joints — Always

This principle shows up everywhere in the body:

• Tight shoulders? Often caused by stiff ribs or locked thoracic spine.

• Chronic calves? Look at ankle dorsiflexion and rearfoot motion.

• Neck tension? Often starts with a pelvis that doesn’t rotate or load properly.

When a joint doesn’t move, your muscles work harder to stabilise or create the motion that’s missing. Over time, they become overused, tight, or even injured.

Movement Starts at the Joint – Not the Muscle

Most people are taught to stretch a tight muscle or strengthen a weak one. But what if I told you that your muscles aren’t actually the starting point for movement?

That’s right — your joints move first, and your muscles respond.

This is a fundamental principle I use in every movement assessment at The Body Lab, Canberra. And once you understand it, you can change how you train, rehab, and move for the rest of your life.

Muscles Follow Joints — Always

We often think of muscles as the prime movers — but it’s the position and mobility of your joints that tells your muscles what to do.

If a joint isn’t moving properly, muscles nearby step in to help. Over time, those muscles get tight, overworked, or injured.

For example, if your hip joint isn’t flexing properly, your hamstrings might stay long and tense all day, trying to do a job they weren’t meant to do.

But What About the Nervous System?

Your brain plays a huge role in all of this. It constantly reads signals from your joints, muscles, and fascia to decide what’s safe.

The brain then creates a “resting neutral” position — the posture and movement baseline your body returns to over and over. But if your nervous system doesn’t feel safe in a certain position (due to injury, stress, fear, or habit), it changes that baseline — often in ways that cause compensation and pain.

This means your tight muscles might not be weak or short — they might just be reacting to faulty joint input or a nervous system that’s stuck in protection mode.

That’s why at The Body Lab, I use movement to re-educate the nervous system. We restore motion at the joints to give your brain better sensory feedback. When the body feels safe, it relaxes. When the brain trusts the joints, muscles calm down and begin to coordinate efficiently again.

Case Study: Mark’s Frustrated Hamstrings

Mark (name changed), a 39-year-old runner, came to see me at The Body Lab after months of hamstring tightness and a couple of strains. He was stretching, rolling, and doing everything by the book — but nothing worked.

During his movement assessment, I noticed his pelvis wasn’t tilting forward properly during walking. Without that motion, his hip couldn’t fully flex — so the hamstring picked up the slack. That constant overuse was why it always felt tight, even though it was already long.

We didn’t stretch his hamstrings at all. Instead, we:

• Restored pelvic tilt and hip rotation

• Reprogrammed his walking pattern

• Activated key movements to improve joint sequencing

Within two weeks, the tightness eased. In four weeks, he was running again without discomfort.

So What Does This Mean for You?

If you’re dealing with:

• Chronic muscle tightness

• Recurring injuries

• Postural issues or pain

• Flat feet, stiff hips, or shoulder tension

• Unresolved tension despite massage, chiro, or stretching

… it’s time to stop chasing symptoms and start looking at your joint movement and nervous system baseline.

At The Body Lab, I Assess:

✔ Your gait and walking pattern

✔ How your joints move in all 3 planes

✔ Whether your muscles are compensating

✔ How your posture reflects your neurological baseline

✔ The sequence and timing of your movement

This approach helps me uncover why your body is stuck — and how to help it move better, feel stronger, and stay pain-free long-term.

Key Takeaways

• Joints initiate motion. Muscles react to joint movement.

• If something feels tight or overworked, it may be compensating for a joint that isn’t moving well.

• Your brain sets your “neutral” posture based on joint feedback and safety.

• To feel better, move better, and stay pain-free — focus on improving joint function and nervous system input.

Looking for a Movement Specialist in Canberra?

At The Body Lab, I help people shift out of pain and dysfunction by restoring movement at the source: the joints. Whether you’re recovering from injury, dealing with postural imbalance, or just want to move better as you age, my approach is tailored to the whole body — joints, muscles, and brain.

🔎 Book a movement assessment here

📍 Canberra-based | Functional Movement & Biomechanics | 1-on-1 Care

References

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2. Grimaldi A, Fearon A. Gluteal tendinopathy: integrating pathomechanics and clinical features in its management. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2015;45(11):910–22.

3. Sahrmann SA. Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes. St. Louis: Mosby; 2002.

4. Comerford M, Mottram S. Kinetic control: managing the movement system. Physiother Theory Pract. 2001;17(2):75–90.