The purpose of joint mobility training

Let’s talk about the conclusion first: the core purpose of joint mobility training that we often talk about has never been the metaphysical standard uploaded on the Internet that “you must be able to do a straight horse and lower your waist to be considered perfect”. In essence, it always revolves around three underlying directions: maintaining the normal physiological activity threshold of the joints, reducing the risk of injury in daily life and sports, and assisting functional return after injury. The final destination of all movement design cannot escape these three goals.

I just received a 28-year-old Internet operation visitor last week. She sits at the workstation for more than 12 hours every day. Recently, the pain is so severe that it is difficult to lift her arms to pick up the skin care products from the wall cabinet. I went to the hospital to take a X-ray and found no structural damage. The first phase of the rehabilitation plan was all about active shoulder joint movement training, and I didn’t even dare to do strength training. I actually want to break the stereotype of many people first: joint mobility training is not exclusive to yoga enthusiasts and athletes at all. Ordinary people need it to a much greater extent than you imagine.

There are actually two widely differing approaches to joint mobility training in the industry, and no one is absolutely right. The scenarios they are suitable for are quite different: one is the passive release school, which believes that 80% of joint restrictions in ordinary people are caused by soft tissue adhesions and muscle tension. Manual relaxation, foam rollers, fascia guns, and even traction can increase the range of motion. The advantage is that the results are quick, especially for patients who have just removed their plasters and whose muscles are temporarily unable to actively contract after surgery. Passive movement is the only way to avoid joint adhesions.； The other group is the active control group. They feel that the range of motion that is passively released is "floating" and has no corresponding neuromuscular control. If you forcefully use this range to perform movements, you will be more likely to be injured. You must actively contract the antagonist muscles and pause at the end of the activity to stabilize the range of motion that you have developed. When I do my own practice, I usually mix it up. For office workers who sit for a long time and have tight shoulders, I first roll the foam roller for 5 minutes to loosen the superficial muscles, and then do 10 sets of active arm climbing wall training. The effect is much better than using one method alone.

Many people think that practicing this is useless. Isn’t it just that the arms and legs can be bent more? Not really. A while ago, a 62-year-old relative of mine said that recently he couldn't squat down to tie his shoelaces, and it hurt even when he went to the toilet and sat on a low toilet. There were no bone spurs when he went for a checkup, but the range of motion of his hip and knee dropped 20 degrees from normal. He always sits inactive, and the joint capsule and surrounding muscles contracted. I arranged low-intensity activity training for her twice a day, including sitting with her legs held and half-squatting against the wall. After two weeks, she was much better. She said that now it is not difficult to go downstairs to buy groceries and squat down to pick groceries. To be honest, too many people wait until their lives are affected before they think of practicing. At that time, they suffer much more than if they spend 10 minutes a day to move.

There is another point that many people have not noticed: the sufficient range of joint mobility directly determines the efficiency and safety of your strength training. I have seen too many novices squat 100 kilograms when they first squat. Their hips get stuck halfway through the squat, and they can only bend down and collapse their backs to compensate. After three months of training, their legs are not thicker, and their lumbar protrusion shows up first. Essentially, the range of motion of the hip flexion does not reach the threshold required for strength training. Lifting the weight is purely looking for injuries. I now arrange a plan for novices. In the first two weeks, I don’t let them touch heavy weights at all. I first bring the range of motion of the shoulders, hips, and knees to the normal threshold, and then slowly increase the weight. The progress is much faster than that of just pounding the iron.

Of course, the greater the range of motion, the better. I met a girl before who stretched her legs hard and loosened the hip joint capsule in order to practice the one-piece horse. She wobbled when she walked and moved her hips at every turn. To put it bluntly, the joint is like a door hinge at home. What you want is for it to open and close smoothly without jamming, and to be able to normally meet the needs of opening and closing doors. If the door axis is loosely tightened in pursuit of "flexibility" and makes a clanging sound when pushed, then the door will not work at all. Professional athletes need a range of motion beyond the physiological range, which is a special need. Ordinary people really don't need to follow the trend, as long as it is enough.

In fact, to put it bluntly, joint mobility training is essentially "daily maintenance" for your joints, just like you regularly oil your bicycle chain or clear the memory of your mobile phone. Spending 10 minutes to move is much more cost-effective than waiting for it to break off due to rust.