Are you feeling stiff and tight?

Are you spending multiple hours stuck in the same position with work and your commute? Do you want to loosen up and move a little more freely? Then mobility training is for you!

So what is mobility?

Is it flexibility?

Or are they two different things?

Mobility refers to the ability to move a joint through its active range of motion whereas flexibility refers to the ability to take a joint or muscle to its passive range of motion. An easy way to look at the difference is mobility involves the joint whereas flexibility involves the muscle.

Both have their benefits but from a trainer and therapist perspective, mobility training can have a positive impact on an individual’s flexibility as well as their general health and wellbeing.

Over the past 18 months throughout the pandemic we have encountered people from all walks of life who have been working from home and in unconventional positions, from the dining table and chair, to the living room floor hunched over their coffee table working on a laptop which has caused us to stiffen up and become more and more immobile.

Now although these positions are variations of their normal working environment, they are not ideal because we are tending to be in these altered positions for longer durations than we would be if we were in the office which causes our muscles to shorten and tighten which affects our mobility and flexibility. This is where regular mobility routines can be very beneficial to reducing these aches and pains. You do not have to spend hours every day on these, just a minimum of 10 minutes regularly through the week will be sufficient for you to start to see improvements. The idea behind some of the drills is to get you moving out of your normal positions and to promote a healthier range of motion at the joints.

If you would like more information and resources regarding mobility training either book into our Stretch and Move class and look at our social media for videos with different drills ranging from Upper Body, Lower Body and Full Body and give them a try and get the body moving again!

If you would like to find out more about our stretch and move class please email admin@lmcphysio.co.uk, call 01788331570. If you would like to view our timetable and book a class you can do so here.