Mobility is your body’s ability to move through its normal range of motion before being restricted and losing control. This is different to flexibility, which is more about the ability to lengthen your muscles and soft tissue.
This yoga pose requires excellent flexibility and mobility.
Not all people with good flexibility have good mobility. Some may lack control in their movement because they don’t have strength through the range of movement. Each joint has its own range of movement, so you may be more mobile in some than others.
You don’t have to be super flexible to have good mobility, but if you want to be able to do moves like this, then you will need good flexibility and mobilty.
Why is mobility so important?
As we get older, we tend to lose our mobility because if you don’t regularly exercise your body, you will be losing muscle mass and strength, the more you lose, the less mobile you become. Then aches and pains may follow which again make you move less as you try to avoid making movements that hurt. A vicious cycle commences, so it’s better to start improving mobility today.
How does good mobility lower your risk of injury?
Reaching up overhead can cause pain if you have poor shoulder mobility.
Injury tends to occur when we make movements that are outside our usual movements. For example lifting something heavy and placing it on a high shelf means your joints are not used to the load or the position you need to hold the load in.
Improving your mobility teaches your joints how to bear load at extreme or vulnerable positions - your body becomes prepared for when you need to be in this position.
How do you know if you need to improve your mobility?
If you regularly suffer with some form of ache, pain or stiffness, you likely have a mobility issue.
To identify where you lack mobility, you need to take your joints through the full range of movement. In an earlier blog, we looked at hip movements and the movements you should be able to make, your shoulder is similar and has big range of movement. Can you make full circular motions with your arms, backwards and forwards? Your knees should bend and straighten, your ankles should rotate and rock side to side. These are the obvious ones that come to mind but we also need good mobility in our wrists and thoracic spine.
If you find your movement restricted or lacking in any of your joints, you know there is room for improvement.
Uncovering your mobility issues
When I work with PT clients, we will without doubt uncover areas of poor mobility. It will either show up as “it really aches in that position” or you can see the loss of control as they are making the movement.
How can you improve your mobility?
Focus on the area where you need to develop control, often this will be at an end range or a position you rarely use.
Eg you have poor hip external rotation – you will need to stretch the area that is restricting the external rotation (eg your inner thigh muscles) and then strengthen in the position where you lose control (eg you could do clams to strengthen your external rotators and also side leg raises to strengthen your hip abductors, then put it all together). If none of that made any sense, then it’s time to work with someone who gets it.
Do you want to feel more mobile, less stiff and wake up with less aches come the summer holidays?
If you start working on your mobility today, you could be feeling a whole lot better by July.
If you would like help improving your mobility, strength or fitness, book your complimentary exploratory call today.