| I added this mobility test back into my practice in the last year and was horrified by the results. Sure, my clients are getting older yet even the younger ones, here in Wisconsin had me cringing.It’s been a decade since I learned the importance of testing these moves and abandoned them when I went from in the office to mostly virtual after moving back to Wisconsin. Big mistake on my end and I owe all my Washington folks an good mobility exam this next visit in October (by the way if you see me in Tacoma I’ll be in town 10/16-10/20 connect with Brian to get in). And if you’re not in Tacoma I’m planning to offer workshops on pain, tension and mobility coming soon online – check out Acu-Myofascial Release Therapy and get on the waitlist HERE.Mobility, it’s a major factor that stands between you, chronic pain, not being able to do what you love and your independence as you age. No one dreams of going to a nursing home or being in a wheel chair due to lost mobility and strength. This is go time for anyone at any age to master these movements and if something is off, it’s time to address it. Whether neck, back, shoulder or hand pain is keeping you up at night, foot pain that’s sidelined you or you’re noticing you aren’t as limber as you used to be, this is for you. As estradiol and testosterone levels decline in the perimenopause to menopause transition aches and pains show up.Those little nagging issues change how you move and have big impacts the longer you ignore them.Back in the day I completed the Champion Performance Specialist training with a well known physical therapist for the Boston Red Sox, Mike Reinold, and my variation comes from his certification. The 5 Movement Categories:Note any pain, tension, dizziness, or loss of balance with any of the moves. Neck – left & right rotation, left & right lateral flexion (put your ear toward your shoulder and don’t lift up your shoulder when doing it), look up and downShoulder – Push (push your hands out in front of you like you’re pushing open a door), pull your hands back like your holding a box and pulling it to your chest + Wall Slides – stand with your back up against a wall and reach up above your head, touch your fingers together and bring the arms back down. Attempt to remain in contact with your wall at all times. Note: you can use a closed door for this if your walls are textured and rough or you don’t have any free wall space. Reach behind your back: attempt to touch your hands behind your back (not everyone can do this naturally so no stress if you can’t touch) left arm behind the back and right arm reaches up and pats the middle of your back. See how close you can get those hands. Repeat on the opposite side. Upper Back – Rotation. Give yourself a hug and rotate left and right (just like you’re doing the twist)Hips/Back/Knee – Lunge forward & lateral – stand with feet hip width apart and take a step forward in a lunge motion, repeat both sides and repeat by stepping to the left or right in a lunge motion + hip circles – channel your inner Shakira and draw circles with your hips clockwise and counter clockwise + hinge motion – bend over and touch your toes or see how far you can go + squat: put a solid non mobile chair behind you (kitchen chairs are good for this), with your hips shoulder width apart lower your glutes toward the chair and stand back up with your hands on your hips. Repeat with your hands over your head. Note the difference, if any on how it goes. Feet and ankles – sitting in a chair point your toes, bring your toes toward your shins, point your bottoms of your feet toward each other the best you can and point the bottoms of your feet away from each other. Try to separate your toes by stretching them apart. Bonus: do this standing on one leg. If you can do this you have great balance. By going through movements related to these categories you can determine if you need some TLC in certain areas. From pain to stiffness and loss of balance while trying to perform a movement, these are all clues that something is off. If you didn’t know there was an issue before performing the mobility test, it’s likely a myofascial or trigger point that needs some TLC, this is where my workshops will come in. This is a great check in every 6 months to a year, think of it as a body report card or annual labs.If something is off you can intervene before it becomes a bigger issue. Chances are some of you would prefer a video to know exactly what to do, don’t worry, I recorded one for you. |
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