• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Human Movement

Injury Rehab and Sports Performance Training, City of London

  • About
  • Process
    • Our Process
    • Can I help you?
  • Methods
    • Muscle Activation Techniques
    • Resistance Training
  • Programmes
    • In person programme
    • Online programme
  • Resources
    • 9 key principles to help you recover from pain and injury
    • Everything you need to know about exercise at 50 and beyond
  • Blog
  • Contact

Perhaps it was how I slept?

September 15, 2014 by Paul

Below is a quote from a former client who moved abroad. He was seeking advice on a painful hip. It’s used with his kind permission.

“It’s my left hip. I don’t know what happened, I thought it might be because I’ve been sleeping on the couch the last few nights as I’ve been getting in late.

I’ve started doing some heavy squats and lunges with my trainer recently but we’ve had to stop because of the hip. The pain starts around the front of the hip and then slowly spreads throughout the pelvis.”

This is a common train of thought. Sleeping is usually thought of as a probable suspect when the cause is not immediately obvious.

It’s unlikely to be factor however as during sleep our skeletal muscles are paralysed and contrary to popular belief, our central nervous system is highly active.

Heavy squats and lunges on the other hand will cause problems if the amount of force involved exceeds what the person is capable of tolerating. Too much weight and the body may respond by switching muscles off to protect them.

The effect of this is not always immediately obvious which can cause confusion. It can take a few days of moving around without the affected muscles working particularly well before it’s apparent that something isn’t right.

The answer is to take a step back. A lot of people are not strong enough to squat or lunge and insisting they do so because these exercises are considered ‘functional’ will not be beneficial.

It’s better to work on the constituent parts of the movement in a more isolated way and discover where the weaknesses are before integrating them into multi joint exercises.

Rest assured, how you sleep is probably not the issue.

Filed Under: Rehabilitation, Training

Incurable shitty ankle
Olympian Amy Van Dyken-Rouen uses Muscle Activation Techniques in attempt to walk again.

Primary Sidebar

Not making progress with your rehab?

Subscribe below and find out how to get moving with our FREE 21 page guide.

9 key principles to help you recover from pain and injury pdf cover

Everything you need to know about exercise at 50 and beyond.

Subscribe and receive our 45 page guide FREE.

Everything you need to know about exercise at 50 and beyond pdf cover

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Why Stone Age workouts won’t save your middle-aged body June 29, 2025
  • Longevity that works: science-backed habits that slow ageing June 24, 2025
  • Frasier, therapy, and the illusion of being ‘fixed’ June 16, 2025
  • Why rehab exercises won’t work without focus June 8, 2025
  • Still in pain? A systems-based approach to rehab for musculoskeletal injury  June 3, 2025

Footer

CONTACT

Human Movement
30 Cannon Street
London, EC4M 6XH

+44 020 7183 1164
paul@human-movement.com

BLOG

  • Why Stone Age workouts won’t save your middle-aged body June 29, 2025
  • Longevity that works: science-backed habits that slow ageing June 24, 2025
  • Frasier, therapy, and the illusion of being ‘fixed’ June 16, 2025

FOLLOW

SUBSCRIBE

Privacy | Cookies | Terms