Trunk rotation is a fundamental part of so many activities in daily life and sports: walking, running, throwing, swinging a racket or bat, loading or unloading a dishwasher. As babies we learn to control trunk rotation when we learn to roll over. We learn how to coordinate trunk rotation with arm and leg motion through crawling and then walking. Full symmetric mobility and control of that rotation is often lost in adulthood through a combination of posture and movement habits or through injuries and compensation patterns.  Restoring that movement and control is important for maintenance of momentum and transfer of power to our arms and legs. It’s important for all kinds of activities including walking, running, throwing, swinging a racquet or golf club, pivoting and changing direction.

How can you tell if you’ve lost some rotation?  Sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest and turn your trunk to each side, keeping your pelvis still (squeeze a ball or towel roll between your knees if you have trouble not rotating your pelvis – your knees should stay even with each other). You should be able to turn about 45° to each side.

In addition to having adequate mobility, it’s important to be able to control motion through rotation to avoid stress of any particular tissue. If you’re having trouble rotating to either side, or controlling rotation through daily life or sports activities, come see a PT at Sage!

Written by Deb Scheibe PT, DPT, CKTP, FMS. Deb brings her love of sports and experience as an elite level Ultimate Frisbee player to her physical therapy practice, with the goal of bringing out the athlete in everyone no matter what their activity of choice. She was inducted into the USA Ultimate Hall of Fame in 2019.