Treating Impaired Joint Mobility

Joint mobility is the ability to move a joint in different directions. The available amplitude depends on the structures (ligaments, muscles, nerves, etc.) that surround the joint. There are many causes of impaired mobility that keep you from doing what you love to do.

Physiotherapy can help manage and improve mobility resulting from such causes as: the wear-and-tear on bones, joints and muscles that comes from overuse and the passage of time; joint and muscle pain caused by a broad range of conditions and injuries, including osteoarthritis; the impact of major surgeries and treatments like chemotherapy on mobility and overall health; neurological damage from a variety of causes, including concussions; and much more.

Practical Tips

• Consult with a physiotherapist about physical activities. The best way for a physiotherapist to assess and treat your mobility concerns is to understand the root medical causes, and then develop a custom therapeutic program that’s right for you.
• Correct muscular imbalances. Most overuse injuries develop gradually, the result of muscular imbalances and poor movement patterns. Your physiotherapist will provide you with corrective exercises to address these imbalances and improve the way you move.
• Protect joints. If you have any degenerative changes in your joints (e.g. osteoarthritis), your physiotherapist can show you how to protect joints during activities of daily living, prescribe exercises to improve the strength of supporting muscles, advise on safe forms of exercise, and much more.

• Correct movement patterns. Poor movement patterns during sports (e.g. incorrect landings during jumping) greatly increase your risk of traumatic hip and knee injuries. You can learn from a physiotherapist about how to move properly to minimize risk.
• Increase overall strength. You should seek to achieve an average goal of 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity per week, even in just short, ten-minute bouts. Your physiotherapist can provide an exercise program—one that may include walking, cycling, swimming, water exercises, golf and weight training— to help you regain strength, flexibility and balance needed to safely resume recreational activities.
• Keep moving. It sounds simple, but you can restore and maintain the mobility of your body with regular exercise. When increasing activity or starting a physiotherapy program, you should give yourself rest breaks during the day to compensate for increased activity. Balancing activities, exercise, and rest times is critical to staying healthy and physically active, and increasing energy.

1. 1. Mobility exercises and their accessories

Thus, some exercises mobilise the joint and reduce the stiffness that is present. Other exercises can increase the flexibility of the muscles. The nerves are worked with neural mobilisation exercises.

There are hundreds of ways to perform mobility exercises. Every physiotherapist has their favorite exercises. Some tools, however, facilitate the completion of exercises. Among others, we find the foam roller which makes it possible to work the back and the legs. Balls can also help release tension points while straps help to mobilise a joint with the help of one’s hands.

A pulley and a rope can also help you to regain some of the mobility during the treatments. At home, exercises with a stick helped maintain the mobility regained during physiotherapy sessions.

1. 2. At home exercises

At home, physiotherapists recommend doing mobility exercises a few times a week. A simple home exercise routine is easily accomplished. It is also possible to register for various sports activities such as yoga or pilates that can mobilise the different joints of the body.

A daily routine consisting of stretching and mobility exercises provided by your physio combined with the treatments can allow you to recover in a few months.

In summary, mobility exercises are a form of exercises that aims to maintain or regain the range of motion of a joint. If you feel that one of your body parts is moving less freely, do not wait to see a physiotherapist at our clinics. They will teach you the right exercises and give you the motivation to achieve them!