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Your Range of Motion is impacting your Sport & Life

Updated: Sep 24, 2020

DO YOU WANT TO REDUCE PAIN? PREVENT INJURY? ENHANCE YOUR PERFORMANCE & RECOVERY?


YOU WILL NEED TO UNDERSTAND YOUR BODY'S RANGE OF MOTION (ROM)


So what is Range of Motion?

ROM is the extent of movement of a joint, in typically either flexion, extension, abduction (movement away mid line), adduction (movement toward mid line), or rotation (internal/external).


ROM may be limited by one or more of the following:

  • muscles

  • tendons

  • fascia

  • ligaments

  • bone structure

  • soft tissue obstruction

What impact does ROM have on your sport and life?

When you have limited rang of motion, you are less flexible and agile, your muscles are tight, and you feel aching and pain because you try to force your body to move beyond what it is capable of doing in completing that particular movement(s). When you are competing and playing sport, you will be exerting even more force on your muscles and body. Yes, your muscles will warm up and you will gain more range of motion in your overall body, but this is typically because your muscles are compensating for the joint movement.


When your body can no longer compensate and cannot accommodate the force you exert on it, this is when injuries occur. Your body as reached its limit and the weakest link has failed/ruptured/torn/broken etc.


Any pain you feel, is because your body in one way, shape or form is required to do something it currently cannot do, or cannot do freely.


Your body is made up of many systems, including; Musculoskeletal System, Nervous System, Cardiovascular System, Digestive System, Respiratory System, Metabolic System, Immune System. Each system relies on another system to do its job. The greater the deviation your bodies alignment is from its optimal position the more it restricts each system from operating at their best. You restrict blood flow, oxygen, nerves and change the position of organs, and therefore restrict the amount of nutrients each system needs in order to recover effectively.


When you become aware of your body’s ROM and use the most effective ways to increase your range of motion you:

  • Increase your performance and recovery

  • Lower the chance of getting an injury or multiple injuries

  • Are likely to feel less pain

So what is the average ROM for joints?

When testing yourself, the key is to ensure another joint is not compensating for the ROM in the joint you are testing.

There are four (or eight when doubled) load joints in your body. These are your shoulder(s), hip(s), knee(s) and ankle(s). The different joint movements include:

  • Flexion

  • Extension

  • Abduction

  • Adduction

  • Internal Rotation

  • External Rotation

The following joints have the following average ROM:

Shoulder

  • Flexion = 180º

  • Extension = 45º

  • Abduction = 180º

  • Adduction = 0º

  • Internal Rotation = 70º

  • External Rotation = 90º

Hip

  • Flexion = 125º

  • Extension = 10º

  • Abduction = 45º

  • Adduction = 10º

  • Internal Rotation = 45º

  • External Rotation = 45º

Knee

  • Flexion = 140º

  • Extension = 0º

Ankle

  • Plantar Flexion = 140º

  • Dorsiflexion = 20º


The best way to reduce pain, prevent injury and enhance your performance & recovery is to increase your range of motion.

DON'T LEAVE IT TO CHANCE.

Take your body and life to the next level, and click here today to get your free assessment with our Postural Alignment Specialists.


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