Why is Joint Mobility important? Focus on the Hips...

Mobility losses are a part of getting older. Personally, I've certainly noticed a difference post 40! There are a number of reasons for this, but a natural consequence of aging is the breakdown of collagen, a structure that holds water, which provides fluid and suppleness to joints which that makes it harder for joints to access their full range of motion. This, together with hormonal changes impacting our skeletal system (including muscle loss) and onset of conditions such as arthritis have an impact on our range of motion.

However, that's it as far as as natural consequences go and we can absolutely do so much to prevent lack of mobility in all areas of our body. The reality is, the biggest reason joint range of motion declines with age is because of our habits and lifestyle. Over time, repetitive motions and poor habits become engrained.

Think of a desk worker. Through sitting for long periods of time in the same position typing on a keyboard muscles of neck and chest are shortened. If you're also hunched forward (a common at-your-desk posture), then you are over-stretching the muscles in your back. As it's the major area of focus in this article it's worth noting that particular muscles of the hips are also affected - particularly 'hip flexors' which tighten and shorten. The hip flexor muscles are made up of your iliacus and the psoas muscles and are together known as the iliopsoas.

After you've moved from your desk (or seated position) you might still walk around with the imbalance that has been created, contributing further to a loss of mobility. The danger is that this can cause wear-and-tear on joints that, long-term can lead to chronic pain.

Together with this, if you're not physically active, you're not conditioning your joints to move through their full intended range of motions. This can also cause loss of mobility.

Why joint mobility important?

Everyone of any age or fitness level needs the ability to move their limbs and joints through their full range of motion. Though not everyone will be picking up barbells or running sprints or long jumping, we all have to function in a three-dimensional world. If we plan to enjoy and experience all that life offers, we absolutely require the full use of our limbs, joints, and muscles. If we want to reduce pain and improve functional movement, whether that be for specific sports or everyday activities, regaining and maintaining maximum joint mobility is essential.

It is important to consider that word 'regain'. We are born with excellent joint mobility. Think of the movements (and indeed posture) of children. They're flexible and perform movement with ease without being trained how to do so. So we are simply looking to regain what was lost, not invent something new.

Once you learn the mobility exercises, it’s actually really pretty simple to maintain. People generally fail out of lack of consistency or through, quite simply being lazy. If you can incorporate mobility drills into your regular warm-ups or daily activities, they become second nature and you will reap the rewards.

If joints and limbs are going to be useful in everyday tasks, they have to be mobile. They need a full range of motion.

Mobility is even more important if you're an athlete. Strength without the ability to move your body and limbs fully and completely is pointless. Strength development itself suffers without proper joint mobility. The strongest lifters are the ones who move weights or own bodyweight through the full range of motion using compound (multi joint/muscle) movements and using healthy joints. Poor joint mobility when performing any movement patterns - squats, deadlifts, presses etc. and indeed any compound movement that requires precision and communication between joints and limbs is going to make those movements much harder, and potentially lead to injury. Power output and speed will be compromised with poor joint mobility.

Think of your joints as hinges to a door; if the door is never opened, never used, that hinge isn’t going to decay and not work well. Same thing goes for the sedentary office worker stuck in a single position (in today's world, think of the gamer too) or indeed a bodybuilder who only focuses on toning big global muscles such as pectorals and biceps. Their joints aren’t being used to their full potential and their mobility will suffer. Even simple, functional everyday activities will begin to be challenging.

Focus on the Hips!

Different people will have varied levels of mobility in different areas of the body. Perhaps the most common mobility deficiency resides in the hips. My husband, for example prompted me to write this article because his hip mobility issues impacting his chosen sport - kickboxing. I personally certainly also have a significant imbalances in the hip complex area - my right side is so very tight - no doubt compounded by the years I did spend at a desk (one of the reasons I took myself back into more active roles).

People don't necessarily know how to use their hips the way they were designed to be used. For example, instead of sitting back with their hips to pick something up, followed by a hip extension (thrust forward) to bring it up, they’ll bend at the waist and lift with the lower back. Picking up a weighted barbell, a child or other reasonably heavy everyday item with poor hip mobility and (over) using your lower back in an injury waiting to happen.

We sit WAY too much. Sitting impacts hip mobility in two major ways: it weakens the glutes and it shortens the hip flexors (as mentioned above). Both your glutes and your hip flexors figure prominently in the activation of your hips, so when they’re weak and/or inactive, the lower back often takes over. However, the lower back (lumbar area), as part of 'the core' is mainly there to provide support and stability, not be a major place of activation for big strength movements. But with poor hip mobility brought on by excessive sitting and a weak posterior chain (back of body), your hip extension is no longer sufficient, and in comes the lower back.

Our hips are designed to generate strength and power. The ligaments, the tendons, the musculature, and the bones in that region are all dense, hardy, and robust – they’re made for activity and mobility – but too many people are selling their hips short. And when that happens, the other joints and muscles (like knees or lumbar spine) have to pick up the slack. It’s an adaptive mechanism, it’s not meant to be a lasting solution though. It just doesn’t work, and it’s exactly why most people lift with their backs instead of their hips and then complain about back or knee pain.

Restoring hip mobility will help!

It might even reduce or eliminate lower back and/or knee pain stemming from overcompensation. It could improve your power output by allowing you to fully engage your posterior chain (back of body) in sports and training exercises like squats, deadlifts, kettlebell swings and lifts while making them safer. Creating range of movement should improve the strength and power of your hip extension which is extremely vital for performance of any basic explosive movement. It will improve your rotational strength; instead of rotating with the lumbar spine (not a good idea!), you’ll generate power with the hips – perfect for throwing a good punch or tossing a big rock into a lack when you're out with the kids.

In conclusion, hip mobility will improve your relationship with the rest of your body. Because the hips are the most common sites of poor mobility, many people are walking around with dysfunctions because of overcompensation.

Fixing hip mobility won’t fix all musculoskeletal issues, but it's a good place to start!

Thank you for reading this article today.

Leanne Hendry