Joint mobility in Nepean is a hot topic these days and you may have heard me talk about in the office. So, what is joint mobility? Mobility involves and takes into account the joint, the ligaments, the muscles crossing the joint, and the nervous system. Joint mobility is training for your joints that brings position awareness, energy, lubrication and helps your joints heal and regenerate.

From a chiropractic viewpoint, it also helps with signals in your nervous system. When you move your joints your brain receives information about the positioning of the joints and your brain then responds to by sending signals back down to the joints. When your joints don't move, there are poor quality signals sent to your brain. I remember very early on in school one of our professors saying that Movement is Life. Movement is a requirement to be healthy. That's why I recommend it to you to do.

So, when you look at joint mobility, look at it like general maintenance for your body. Just think about how your car's brakes are when it's been parked for weeks - rust builds on the brakes and they become stiff. Or think about how various car parts need to be oil or grease, and the tires need to be properly inflated to work most efficiently. Our bodies have similar needs to be cared for. Joints are like hinges and need regular oiling and maintenance as well.

What are the benefits of joint mobility to you in Nepean?

By moving every joint in your body the correct way you really decrease your chance of getting injured. Most injuries that happen to us are due to movements along incorrect joints - twisting with your lumbar spine instead of the thoracic spine, because of lack of joint mobility.

Joint mobility will improve your range of motion - your flexibility.

While stretching is important, joint mobility is extremely important for anybody who wants to be active and especially for athletes. Mobility has real-world applications whether you're grabbing groceries out of the trunk, lifting a baby off the ground or jumping or skating in your favorite sport over the weekend.

It increases the efficiency of your movement and increases your performance. When people get adjusted, one of the things I hear is, "Uh, I can't move my neck - it was really stuck or blocked." (is this correct, or are people commenting AFTER their adjustments that they CAN move their neck) Joint mobility helps to make the movements smoother without any impediments and prevents stiffness. When you have full mobility, it will improve your performance because with full range in your joints you can lift and you don't have any blockages in your joints because they are in the right place.

When thinking about doing joint mobility, you want to encompass your whole body you can start from the top with the neck and work down through shoulders, wrists, upper and lower back, hips, knees, and ankles.

The great thing about it is that you don't have to spend hours doing it or have fancy training.

Here's the video for a simple set of quick beginner mobility exercises I have created to get you started.