NolanLee.com
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Patients
  • Yoga
  • Testimonials
  • Gallery
  • Contact

Natural vs. Gained Mobility

12/20/2014

2 Comments

 
Tin man yoga
I recently received an email from a patient/yogi asking, "What is the ratio of natural flexibility that you are born with versus that which can be attained through work?" I wish I had a more cut and dry answer, but the answer is that it all depends... 
First, let's talk about mobility rather than flexibility. Flexibility is how stretchy your tissues are. Mobility is how much movement you have (which includes flexibility). The difference is subtle but significant. Let's see what various body parts have a say about your ultimate mobility. 

Bones have the final word in ROM

femoral anteversion
Everyone is built differently. Some people have more mobility because their bones are just built to have more range in certain motions. For example, various shapes  of your femurs (your big thigh bones) and/or pelvis can have a huge impact on your hip mobility. The bone variation in the picture (left bone) is called femoral anteversion, and can definitely limit some hip movements. Remember, the shape of your bones have the final word in how much you can move a joint!

The soft tissues have a say

stretch armstrong
After the bones, we can look at the soft tissues (ligaments, joint capsules, tendons, muscles, and fascia). These tissues all play a role in holding a joint together or moving it and can possibly restrict motion if they are short or tight. You can gain more flexibility in these tissues by stretching them out over time. Also, remember the tissues themselves vary in flexibility. You can get an idea of the "natural flexibility" of your tissues with your Beighton score. You mostly cannot change your bones short of surgery, but the soft tissues you can over time.

The nervous system can have control issues

control freak
Another part of your body that has a say about mobility is your nervous system. Even if your bones and soft tissues allow the movement, you still may not be able to do it! For instance, if you lay a person on her back, and then you lift one of her legs up. You can pick it up to a certain angle. Stand her up and ask her to lift her leg to the same angle, and there's a good chance that she won't be able to do it. Why? There are several possibilities, but it's definitely not due to a bone restriction or length of soft tissues because you just picked up her leg to the same angle. The short answer is if your nervous system feels like your body is in an unstable or dangerous position, it will not let you go further, or it will find a way to make you stable. This may involve contracting muscles that end up limiting your motion.

So... what's the ratio?

It's probably more useful to look at the "ratio" of how much motion you have structurally (in the bones) vs. how much motion you can access based on your soft tissue flexibility and nervous system. Through work, you can gain up to what you have available in the joint, but be sure you are gaining movement in that joint and not compensating with too much movement in another joint somewhere else. Also, remember that the "work" could actually mean strengthening weak or unstable areas rather than stretching.

Namasté

Loving the yoga knowledge? Subscribe for FREE to stay updated!

Femoral anteversion picture from http://www.painfreefeet.ca
Control freak card from http://sassterhood.com
2 Comments
Wendy
12/21/2014 12:22:54 pm

This is so interesting, Nolan! I really need specifics about how to gain mobility. Is that something that you teach?

Reply
Dr. Lee
12/21/2014 09:46:01 pm

Hi Wendy! Yes! I actually spend a lot of time at the clinic helping people achieve their movement goals. Shoot me an email at nolan@nolanlee.com if you would like to know more!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Namasté!

    I created YogiDoc for doctors, experts and experienced yogis to share anatomy knowledge, tips and guides to help yogis and yoginis foster their practices, teaching and health.
    Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or topics of interest that you would like to see on this blog or if you would like to be a contributor! Enjoy!
    Picture
    Dr. Nolan Lee, DC, E-RYT, CES


    Archives

    January 2016
    November 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Adjusting & Assisting
    Anatomy
    Asana Challenge
    Hips
    Physiology
    Poses
    Shoulders
    Terminology
    Therapeutics
    Yoga Rehab

    **Disclaimer**

Copyright © 2014 Nolan Lee. All rights reserved.