Why Mobility Matters?

Mobility is the first thing I check with my patients and athletes. The reason is because if trying to move or accomplish anything, we need to ask ourselves “Do we have enough space?” 

Imagine if you are trying build the home of your dreams. The first thing is getting a plot of land that has enough space. No matter how strong your supplies are or what colors the curtains are, you first need a plot of land that can fit your needs. Everyones dream home will look different just like everyone’s fitness goals. 

Let’s break this down to our bodies. If we’re having low back pain when we squat or we just want to be able to squat better, we first need to assess if we have the space in our joints to squat. Believe it or not, your back might be hurting when you squat because your ankle doesn’t have the mobility/space. That’s because our body will always take the path of least resistance to get the job done. So if you’re trying to squat and your ankle doesn’t have enough dorsiflexion, you will compensate by rounding your back to get lower to the ground and that can cause pain or limit your progress. No matter how strong your legs, abdominals are, you won’t make up for that space. Just like no matter, how amazing your shower is, if you don’t have enough space to fit curtains/a door, the water is going to leak out of the shower and cause problems. So if you’re unsure of where to begin in your performance or rehab journey, let’s start with a mobility assessment to check step 1.