Joint Mobility

Joint mobility exercises are necessary to get joints to move fully within their degrees of freedom. Many athletes have tight or weak muscles not allowing for optimal joint motion with athletic movement patterns. Improving flexibility of muscles associated with the joint, improving strength of muscles associated with the joint, and joint mobilizations are usually all needed to correct an athlete’s biomechanics to prevent injury and improve speed and athleticism.

Common joints needing manual and active mobilizations, that we see with our athletes, are: Sacro-Iliac Joint (SI Joints), Iliofemoral Joints, Tibio-femoral Joints, and Talocrural Joints. Sacro-Iliac and Iliofemoral joints usually need mobilizations in athletes that have very tight hipflexors and have a shortened stride length. Tibio-femoral joints mobilizations are sometimes needed with athletes with knee pain, history of knee surgery, or poor running biomechanics. The talocrural joint mobilizations are very common with athletes that have ever had a injury or soreness that resulted in them limping for days or poor choice of shoes during athletic movement patterns.

Manual Joint Mobilization Techniques

Manual Joint Mobilizations are done by a licensed physical therapist or certified athletic trainer.

Active Joint Mobility Techniques