October 2006

Educational Feature

Body’s Way Principle– 4

The Body’s Way Demands Simultaneous Mobility and Stability

The Body’s Way Demands Simultaneous Mobility and Stability. Having just one or the other isn’t enough.

We know the body insists upon mobility because of the abundant presence in the body of flexible joints. There are thirteen primary joint systems in the body (in the wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, and spine), and each was designed to provide various forms and degrees of mobility, when empowered by adjoining muscles and connective tissues.

However, the same muscles, connective tissues, and joint designs also provide stability. Without stability, muscles and joints would be useless.

When we have the proper balance of stability and mobility, we have the power to move energy vertically, horizontally, and in circles, providing third-dimensional movement capabilities. This is critically important, because we live in a three-dimensional world. Most exercise programs, however, prescribe mostly just two-dimensional movements.

Some people have too much mobility, and not enough stability. An example would be a baseball pitcher whose shoulder joint has been excessively stretched and stressed over long periods of time. This type of hypermobility injury is quite common among the general public these days, because – like baseball pitchers – many people make the same repetitive motions in their jobs every day, causing an erosion of the stabilizing forces of their joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

Other people have too much stability, at the expense of mobility and flexibility. This condition is extremely common among the vast number of people who sit in office chairs for many hours each day. Their joints, muscles, and connective tissues become rigid and inelastic.

Both excessive mobility and excessive stability can lead to osteoarthritis, other forms of chronic pain, injuries, and fatigue. They are both enemies of fitness – and enemies of feeling good.

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