The NMAHM: Principle Based Practice
The Approach was the first to be able to justifiably call itself principle-based by virtue of the way in which that term is defined within the NMAHM®, and interpreted within practical application. The claim continues to be upheld in that context.
While many others have apparently begun to use the term ‘principle-based' in relation to a variety of systems across the world of movement practice the term is usually translated to be simply a guide (i.e. an instruction) to action. Within the NMAHM® principles are used to inform (support and justify) practice and to challenge the validity of practice.
There is no getting away from the fact that the Movement of any organism is essentially complex. The subject of human movement encompasses many fields: it is essentially complex as many apparently discrete systems are involved (anatomy, physiology, orthopaedics, neurology, etc) and body tissues (nerves, muscles, bones, etc), operating under at times voluntary and also reflex conditions in all different areas of life, and for seemingly different purposes. Each contributes to determine function, form, responses and responsiveness of the body tissues.
However, all of these named systems and tissues and any/all others involving the human body are essentially, inherently and intimately linked – and do not function in isolation.
It is from the holistic and integrated perspective of the biological life-sciences, and other relevant factors too that the NMAHM® principles derive. Such factors are are not only long-standing but also tried and tested, and directly used to assess the validity of principles underlying the NMAHM®.
As such the validity of such principles underlying the NMAHM® is assured: they are not only long-standing but also tried and tested.
Taking such a holistic view may seem initially to increase the complexity of human movement, but from a NMAHM® perspective such complexity does not have to equate with either movement, or movement solutions, being complicated.
It is known that relatively few measures can be used to reliably predict, monitor or quantify either capacity for movement or the likely effects of a movement style upon individual movement capacity.
However, the series of combined factors drawn from the life science principles which relate to human movement provide the essential keystones within the NMAHM® for interpreting, analysing and understanding movement, and determining the effects of movement in terms of health and well-being, potential musculoskeletal injury and disorder prevention, therapy and management.
