At Runners’ Edge Alaska, we work with athletes and active individuals across all ages, and one thing is clear: mobility matters. Whether you’re powering through a long bike ride, hiking rugged trails, or fine-tuning your form in the gym, mobility keeps you moving efficiently—and safely.
As you age or train harder, maintaining mobility is critical to avoiding injury and staying in peak form. Let’s dive into why mobility is so important for your performance and some simple ways to test your own flexibility at home.
Why Mobility is Essential for Athletes
Mobility is the range of motion your joints and muscles allow without strain. The 2 most common culprits for limited mobility are muscle weakness and muscle tightness. When mobility is limited, your body compensates in other areas, putting you at risk for injury. This is especially true for athletes and active individuals whose physical demands push their bodies to the limit.
Risks of Decreased Mobility:
- Increased Risk of Injury – Stiff joints and tight muscles reduce your body’s natural shock absorption. This leads to increased strain on muscles, tendons, and ligaments, raising the likelihood of sprains, strains, and even overuse injuries.
- Impaired Performance – If your joints can’t move through their full range of motion, your performance can suffer. Limited hip mobility, for example, can result in poor running mechanics, causing fatigue and reduced speed.
- Compensation Patterns – When mobility is restricted, your body starts compensating, forcing other muscles and joints to pick up the slack. Over time, this imbalance can lead to chronic pain and injury.
Testing Your Own Mobility
Not sure where you stand? Testing your mobility for key joints can give you a good indication of areas that might need more attention. Here are some simple tests to try at home:
1. Hip Mobility Test: The Modified Thomas Test
The Modified Thomas Test is a great way to assess hip flexor tightness, which can impact your running stride, squats, and general movement.
- Start by lying on your back at the edge of a bed or bench with your legs hanging off.
- Bring one knee toward your chest, holding it with both hands.
- Let the other leg relax and hang down toward the floor.
- If the leg that’s hanging off the bed stays flat with your thigh level and your knee bent at 90 degrees, your hip mobility is good. If your thigh lifts or you struggle to keep your knee bent, your hip flexors might be tight, limiting your range of motion.
PT Tip: The hip’s mobility is often compromised by tight hip flexors, like the iliopsoas, rectus femoris, and tensor fasciae lata, which can cause issues such as lower back pain and restricted movement. Weakness in the glutes and hamstrings also plays a role, as these muscles are crucial for stabilizing the pelvis and maintaining proper hip function. Tight hip flexors paired with weak glutes can lead to imbalances, affecting everything from walking mechanics to athletic performance. Strengthening the glutes and improving flexibility in the hip flexors can help restore balance and reduce strain on the lower back and hips.
2. Shoulder Mobility Test
Shoulder mobility is crucial for activities like swimming, lifting weights, and even throwing a ball. Here’s a simple shoulder mobility test:
- Stand tall and reach one arm behind your back, palm facing out, while reaching the other arm over your shoulder and down your back.
- Try to clasp your hands together. If you can, your shoulder mobility is strong. If there’s a gap, your shoulders could use some mobility work to reduce strain and prevent injury.
PT Tip: The shoulder requires both mobility and stability for optimal function. A proper test assesses not just the arm’s range of motion but also how well the shoulder blade (scapula) moves with it. Poor scapular movement, or scapular dyskinesia, can lead to issues like impingement, where soft tissues get compressed, causing pain. To maintain shoulder health, it’s important to strengthen muscles like the lower trapezius and serratus anterior, which help stabilize the shoulder blade and improve overhead movement
3. Ankle Mobility Test: "Knee to Wall"
Good ankle mobility helps stabilize your body and prevent compensatory movements in the knees and hips, increasing the risk of shin splints, IT band syndrome, patellofemoral pain, etc. To test your ankle mobility:
- Stand facing a wall with one foot about 5 inches away. Bend your front knee and try to touch it to the wall without lifting your heel.
- If your knee reaches the wall with your heel grounded, your ankle mobility is solid. If not, focus on stretching your calves and strengthening the muscles around the ankle joint.
PT Tip: Ankle mobility is often limited by tightness in the calf muscles, particularly the gastrocnemius and soleus, which can restrict dorsiflexion and cause issues like Achilles tendonitis or plantar fasciitis. Weakness in stabilizing muscles like the tibialis anterior can further contribute to ankle instability, increasing the risk of sprains. Limited mobility in the ankle also affects overall movement patterns, often leading to compensations in the knees and hips. Strengthening the muscles around the ankle and improving flexibility in the calves can enhance mobility and reduce injury risk, especially for athletes and active individuals.
Overcoming Weakness and Tightness to Improve Mobility
Addressing muscle weakness and tightness is key to unlocking better mobility and preventing injury. For tightness, treatments like dry needling by a physical therapist can target specific trigger points, releasing muscle tension and improving flexibility. Normatec Compression Therapy aids in recovery by enhancing blood flow and reducing muscle soreness, while sports massage or manual therapy can further help release tight muscles and improve tissue quality.
When it comes to weakness, physical therapists can assess strength and power through specialized tests, identifying weak points and compensations. Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) therapy is an excellent tool for safely building strength in targeted areas, allowing for quicker strength gains and overall recovery. Incorporating regular yoga into your routine also promotes flexibility and strength, helping to maintain overall mobility and prevent imbalances. By combining these therapies and practices, you can improve mobility and keep your body performing at its best.
Questions about why mobility matters? Give us a call, we are here to help!
