When we talk about mobility, we are talking about your body’s ability to move comfortably, how independent your body is, how strong your spine is, how healthy your muscles are and how well protected these parts are in providing good quality mobility. Comfortable mobility isn’t just about how well you can participate in exercise but also being about performing simple everyday tasks. Have you recently thought it is harder to get up off the couch? Noticing pain getting out of your car? Finding it hard to shower? Or just slower running errands?
You may hear people say “I can’t move as quickly as I used to as I am getting older”, although aging alone doesn’t reduce your mobility. In fact, mobility requires strength, balance, stamina and coordination and therefore all things that can be improved to keep your body moving throughout your whole lifetime. There are some injuries or conditions which are likely to cause a decline in mobility or even just make mobility harder. Some conditions such as injuries to knee cartilage, degeneration in the spine, sciatica, scoliosis or even osteoporosis. These are conditions in which you can still safely recondition your bodies’ mobility to get you back on your feet, even if you find a temporary decline in your mobility.
A decline in mobility has been found to impact not only your physical health but also your mental and emotional health. This ends up being a domino effect of health issues, therefore the next step to get you back on your feet is to help to gain back or maintain your mobility.
We have a couple of tests you can do to check how your mobility currently is:
Test: Lay on your back and bring one arm straight up above your head
Good mobility: Arm can reach the floor straight above your head
Needs improvement: Arm doesn’t reach the ground, shoulder hikes, pain or discomfort in the movement
Test: one arm reach behind your head and touch the middle part of your opposite shoulder blade, other arm to reach behind your back and touch the bottom of the opposite shoulder blade
Good mobility: Can reach middle of opposite shoulder blade and bottom angle of opposite shoulder blade
Needs improvement: Can’t reach these points (inability), or you notice differences from left and right sides
Test: Lay on your stomach, lift one leg off the floor without rotating or arching your back
Good mobility: Can lift your foot at least 10 degrees
Needs improvement: Lack of motion, back arches, twisting through back/hips, pelvis lifts
Test: lay on your back, lift one leg towards the ceiling whilst keeping both legs straight.
Good mobility: Foot passes the kneecap of the opposite leg.
Needs improvement: cannot lift high enough or either knee bends.
Test: Begin on your hands and knees. Dip your hips down whilst reaching head and eye gaze up towards the ceiling. Then tuck your chin and round the upper back
Good mobility: you can complete the movement without pain
Needs improvement: you can’t flex (down) or extend (up) the spine, pain
The key to mobility is good posture and exercise. Proper posture is something all our chiropractors preach to our patients and we have a few simple exercises which can help to keep your spine in healthy alignment.
A healthy spine should give you the space to move freely in all direction without any restrictions or pain. The spine is designed for us to flex, extend and twist. In today’s sedentary lifestyle, the spine mobility is reduced which means that all the muscles, lumbar spine and pelvis will have to compensate on your movement. Long term wise, all these compensation and spine immobility will eventually lead to injury.
Fortunately, keeping your spinal joints healthy is made easier with regular chiropractic care. There are few ways that a chiropractor can help in keeping the spinal joint healthy, which are increase circulation, reducing pain and of course increase spine mobility. There are some people out there who are not quite familiar with a chiropractic care and how a particular treatment plan can improve the spine mobility and functionality. Chiropractic adjustments seek to correct misalignments of the spine and joints.
Regular visits to your chiropractor is on the right track to maintain your spinal joint healthy and also not to forget exercise regularly will be crucial as well. Each individual will get their very own personalized treatment plan from their chiropractor.
Therefore, protecting our mobility takes care and we don’t realise how easy it is to take movement for granted, so try out our mobility tests above or call 9300 0095 to book an appointment and test your joint mobility or improve it. Alternatively, you can book online at www.Lakesidechiro.com.au
Schedule an Appointment
