Can you move your body? Of course you can! You are therefore MOBILE.
Because you are mobile, does that mean you are also flexible? Maybe.
But here’s the thing. Mobility is very important. Flexibility is what helps with mobility, but each body requires different types and amounts of flexibility.
Let’s think about a distinction between the two. And let’s use the hips and legs as a test case. In my last post, I suggested a simple mobility practice for the hip and leg. You stood sideways on a step and let the outside leg dangle, then moved it gently, at the hip, in all directions. If the thigh bone or femur can move all around in the hip socket, then you can say you have a mobile hip.
So the thing to remember is that mobility is about your bones and joints and how well they move.
Now, if I ask you to touch your toes while standing, without bending your knees, you may or may not be able to touch them. One reason could be that your legs are very long and your arms are very short! Or maybe your spine has been injured and leaning or curling forward is not easy. OR – maybe the muscles of your buttocks and thighs are tight – or inflexible, as you might say. Maybe the ligaments, tendons and fascia are tight too. That would mean that the soft tissue is less pliable than you might like. Muscles tighten and shorten as we age – sad but true.
The thing to remember about flexibility is that it’s about your soft tissue – the muscles, tendons, tendons, ligaments and fascia that support and attach to the bones.
So what? (I hear you say.)
Well, for one, you can have plenty of flexibility (maybe you were a dancer or a gymnast when you were younger) but still have a joint problem that reduces or severely limits your ability to move a joint. For example, perhaps you have an arthritic knee or an injury to a vertebra that required surgery, leaving it more rigid and limited in range.
The flexibility of your muscles will influence your movement, no doubt, but joint health can be yours no matter whether you are super flexible or not. In fact people who are super flexible often have great difficulty keeping their joints stable because their soft tissue is so loose and stretchy. Soft tissue needs to be both pliant and strong. its Job 1 is to hold the bones and joints in place. Job 2 is to help move them for you – safely.
So don’t be discouraged or think that because your muscles have always been tight, you can’t move your joints. You can. You don’t have to look or feel like this:
Here’s what to keep in mind:
- Start moving slowly in the morning, stretching a little to warm up before you charge out into your world.
- Never push into pain. “No pain no gain” is utter bunkum.
- Move a little all day long. Too much sitting around tightens everything.
In my classes, we focus on mobility first. Flexibility is a “nice to have”. We just keep on keeping on.
Here’s a handy summary from Harvard Health:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/exercise-an-effective-prescription-for-joint-pain
