Flexibility and mobility are concepts that are often confused. When used interchangeably, they may cause confusion. Let’s analyze what it is that sets these two concepts apart!

Flexibility is the ability of a muscle to stretch temporarily. If we assume your muscle is a rubber band, the fact is that whether that band can be stretched easily or not is all about its flexibility. The tighter the muscles and tissues surrounding a joint, the harder it is to move that joint. Moreover, this can also result in misalignment and imbalance in tight muscles pulling on a joint. Mobility, on the other hand, is how a joint moves within its normal range of motion. Flexible muscles help you improve how well you can move your joints. Therefore, flexibility is an important component of mobility. 

The techniques of mobility help you eliminate factors that limit your body’s movement by using a variety of techniques. And this increases the range of motion of your joints. Although flexibility plays a big part in mobility, it is not enough on its own. One needs muscle strength and stability as well as flexibility for good mobility. The structure of your joints, ligaments, and tendons covering them may also affect your mobility. Please remember, even though you are flexible, if you lack the factors aiding mutual movement, your mobility may still be weak.

Let’s make this clear quickly with an example. If you cannot get down far enough while squatting, in other words, if your hip can’t go below your knee joint, one of the reasons for this may be because your ankle mobility is insufficient. In order to improve your ankle mobility, in addition to mobility practices, it is important to strengthen the muscles in front of your tibia and increase the flexibility of your calf muscles and your Achilles tendon. 

Should all the joints in our bodies be mobile?

The range of motion varies according to the type of joints. For example, while your hinge joint moves back and forth;your ball and socket joint enables you to raise your leg and move it in a circular or back-and-forth motion. This situation varies from person to person. However, the main joints that need to be mobile are the foot joints, hip, and thoracic spine (which are the vertebral bones between the lowest part of the neck and the lowest part of the rib cage). Apart from this, the knee joints, the vertebral bones in our lower back and the glenohumeral joints in the shoulders need to be stable.

Benefits of stretching and mobility exercises

Mobility routines can be applied to one’s deficiencies as well as for training. Our lives are overtaken by so many reasons, such as technology, quarantine, etc., that the extensibility and motion range of our joints decrease. In order to increase this motion range, 5–10 minutes of daily exercise will soothe you both physically and mentally. 

Flexibility and mobility can be improved day by day, and it is important to be consistent. If you make this a part of your routine, you will feel much better in your body, reduce your pain, and realize that you move more economically. At the same time, these moves are substantial in terms of increasing performance, applying the technique correctly, reducing the risk of injury, and correcting poor posture.