The Importance of Mobility and How to Improve It
March marks the Australian Chiropractors Association’s Mobility Month campaign. We thought what better time to talk about the importance of staying mobile?
Mobility is central to our lives. It’s how you get from A to B and enjoy your favourite activities. But what exactly is mobility? It goes way beyond fitness.
Mobility encompasses flexibility, strength and balance. It’s what allows you a wide range of movements, like moving your head from side to side, twisting, jumping and turning around.
You may be lucky enough to have full mobility or maybe you have a physical condition or injury that reduces your movement. Everyone’s level of mobility is different. Whatever your baseline for mobility, one thing we all have in common is that our mobility declines as we age.
This is because:
Muscle mass naturally decreases
Bone density naturally decreases
Chance of injury increases
Chance of neuromuscular disorders increases
Chance of bone diseases increases
Less active because of loss of mobility (chick and egg situation)
How can immobility affect your life?
It’s not until you lose mobility that you realise how debilitating it can be. Loss of movement can affect your life in many ways, including:
Pain or discomfort
Loss of sleep
Exclusion from social activities
Inability to maintain a healthy weight
Increased chance of injury
Not being able to walk from one place to another
Deterioration of mental health
Breakdown of relationships
Test your mobility
How mobile are you? Do you feel tight in any part of your body? Does it hurt when you make certain movements?
The Australian Chiropractors Association has given a helpful mobility test to measure your flexibility, strength and balance. Try it out! You may be surprised by the results.
3 tips for staying mobile
No matter your age or capability, taking steps to maintain and increase mobility should be a priority. Each of us will have different goals. Good mobility for you may be as simple as getting out of bed with ease. Or maybe you want to be so mobile you can run a marathon or nail a difficult yoga move!
Regardless of your goals, here are 3 tips for staying mobile.
1. Don’t forget to stretch
Most of us prefer one exercise over another. And when it comes to movement, flexibility often takes a backseat. It’s less sexy than other exercises because you can’t see the results. But flexibility is key to maintaining a wide range of movements and preventing injury.
You don’t have to join a yoga class (although, yoga is great). You can do simple stretches at home. We give you some flexibility tips here!
2. Incorporate mobility training into your routine
What’s mobility training? Mobility training is any exercise that works to increase your range-of-motion, stability and control of the muscles that surround each joint.
Many gyms or workout programs like F45 incorporate mobility exercises without you even knowing it, e.g. bodyweight exercises like bear crawls, squats and twists. But you can also find many of these exercises online.
Mobility exercise increases your overall fitness, as well as strength, flexibility and stability. It also reduces the risk of injury.
3. Visit your chiropractor
Injury is one of the leading causes of immobility, especially back pain. And when part of your body isn't functioning properly, the other parts of your body compensate, leading to further strain.
Your local chiropractor is the master of mobility! We’re specially trained to keep you mobile and active. We make adjustments to your joints where mobility may not be the best, either as a result of injury, illness or age. This methodology keeps other parts of your body aligned and increases your range of motion.
Chiros also know the best stretches and exercise to build flexibility, strength and stability.
Are you worried about your mobility? We can assess your concerns and give you a tailored plan to improve movement. It’s time to get mobile!