The body works in a stability and mobility platform

The body works in a stability and mobility platform. If one of these platforms are not sufficient in what they are meant to do, then another joint below or above has to overcompensate. Then say hello to PAIN!

Foot (Stability)

The foot has 26 bones and over 20 muscles that need to be moved and strengthened. Unfortunately, since the arrival of the shoe and high heels people’s feet are now trapped in a stiff soled shoe. This now weakens the muscles of the feet, as they don’t need to work nearly as hard as when barefoot. This can lead to foot issues (plantar fasciitis, Achilles, stiff ankles, stress fractures) of the foot. As an example, think how much muscle wastage we get when we can’t walk on one leg because it’s injured (e.g. ACL), a similar thing happens when we always wear soft padded shoes and even worse hard stiff soled shoes (e.g. Work boots or dress shoes). High heels are even worse, there is no movement in them and they create an angle in the ankle which then creates and angle in the pelvis (anterior pelvic tilt), which then can lead to other issues (lower back pain).

The foot needs to be strong and stable. If they are weak and unstable we may have some problems. Guidance is needed here, because going barefoot straight away can lead to more issues, this is a slow methodical approach.

Ankle (Mobility)

The ankle joint needs movement. Wearing high heels, having poor stability in foot and even a weak posterior chain can lead to poor ankle mobility. Now, if there are previous injuries that have occurred and there is scar tissue residing in the joint, this will also promote stiff ankles. You can only imagine if the ankle is stiff, where are you going to get your ROM (range of motion) from when you squat? Hips? What happens if your hips are stiff also? Say hello to more lower back pain.

Knee (Stability)

Knee stability is one of biggest issues we used to address years ago, don’t get me wrong, it’s very important, but you can have great knee stability and strength and get a knee injury. If your ankles don’t move at all, when you try and change direction at speed, that knee will have to go from stabilization, to mobility. That is not it’s job, so potentially you have put yourself at risk of a knee injury, due to poor dorsiflexion.

A key factor in ACL injuries is not poor knee stability, but poor foot stability. (Navicular Drop)

Hips (Mobility)

In the last decade hip issues are beginning to be the number one concern among the population. There are a multitude of reasons behind this, but one of the most common culprits are the fact we as humans are sitting down too much. This has increased in the last 20 years due to the explosion of the internet and the digital age. If you don’t move your hips they will get sore, stiff and weak, this in turn will lead to hip mobility issues. The hips need good mobility, but they also need strong muscles around them to support our movement. Unfortunately, sitting for long periods, increase in food intake (processed), higher stress levels and less sleep has all led to hip complaints or even degenerative hip problems in the 21^st century. Firstly, what needs to be addressed is does the person have an injury, degeneration of hip joint, weakness or just tight muscles. Figure this out, then you can lead your client down the appropriate path.

Lumbar Spine (Stability)

The lumbar spine and all the muscles attached around it is a perfect Segway from the hips. They work in unison and if one is not functioning well, the other can cop the brunt. E.g. Dysfunctional hips = sore lower back and vise versa.

The lumbar is a series of joints in need of stability, as evidenced by all the research in the area of core stability. I do a specific inner unit core test to see if your deep abdominal muscles are working. For many years too much emphasis was put on lumbar flexion and range (e.g. sit ups) and not enough in looking into properly stabilizing this area and then looking above or below the lumbar area for mobility.

Thoracic Spine (Mobility)

Upper back mobility (Extension and rotation) I’m finding is one of the biggest issues in the last 5-10 years. Mainly due to sitting for long periods at work, poor posture and breathing. And it’s only getting worse with the new generation technology/ phones and text neck. Your upper back (Thoracic Spine) is designed to have good mobility, but most people are very stiff and sore in their mid-back, and lack any extension (can’t lift their arms over head without arching lower back) and can’t rotate their Tx spine. This causes big problems, as the body is very good at finding ways to compensate, so quite often the lumbar spine gets used instead for more mobility when it should be stable. Why are there so many lower back injuries?

Once again, you may experience lower back pain, but it may be the fact your upper back doesn’t have enough mobility.

Scapulothoracic (Stability)

Stability between the arm and shoulder. Don’t get me wrong the shoulder joint needs a lot of mobility, but the area between the scapula, upper back and shoulder needs stability to ensure there is structural integrity with movements, eg. Throwing, punching and even running. If there is

Cervical Spine (Stability C3-C7)

Coming Soon…

Cervical Spine (Mobility C1-C2)

Coming Soon…