Mobility & Flexibility - Joint Movement

Range of motion - ROM measures the movement around a joint or body part. When stretching or moving certain body parts, like a muscle or joint, the range of motion is how far it can move. Individuals with a limited range of motion cannot move a specific body part or joint through its normal range. Measurements are different for everybody, but there are ranges that individuals should be able to achieve for proper function. The Injury Medical Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Team can address issues/problems with ROM through a personalized treatment plan to alleviate symptoms and restore mobility and flexibility.

Improve Range of Motion

Over 250 joints in the body move from extension to flexion and are responsible for all of the body's movements. These include the ankles, hips, elbows, knees, and shoulders. Tightness in the hips and ankles can decrease ROM when lifting an object, limiting the muscles' ability. Form and strength potential becomes limited and suffers from an inadequate ROM. When form and posture are compromised, pain and injuries can result. There are many reasons why this can occur, including:

• Tight and stiff muscles.
• Trying to use these muscles can worsen the condition, limiting ROM further.
• A limited ROM in the back, neck, or shoulders may be due to the body being out of natural alignment.
• Repetitive motions, injuries, and everyday wear and tear can shift proper alignment and limit movement.
• Inflammation and swelling around the joints.
• Pain symptoms that are causing mobility issues.
• Joint disorders.

These symptoms can come from:

• Injuries
• Infections
• Conditions like arthritis, brain, nerve, and/or muscle disorders.
• A mild to moderate range reduction may be caused by a sedentary lifestyle or insufficient physical activity.

Daily Living

Decreased range of motion and poor mobility can hinder the body from lifting objects, job occupation performance, and household tasks. A healthy physical ability is what determines independent aging and optimal function.

• Restoring a healthy range of motion can improve physical performance during work, home, and sports activities.
• An improved range of motion allows the affected muscles to work at longer lengths, build strength and relieve tension.
• A stronger muscle capable of contracting efficiently through larger ranges prevents and decreases the risk of injury.

Chiropractic Restoration

Chiropractic care can realign the body and improve range of motion to optimal levels.

Therapeutic and Percussive Massage

• Massage therapy will release the tightness, keep the muscles loose, and increase circulation.
• This prepares the body for chiropractic adjustments and spinal decompression.

Decompression and Adjustments

• Non-surgical mechanical decompression realigns the body to a pliable state.
• Chiropractic adjustments will reset any misalignments, restoring flexibility and mobility.

Exercises

• A chiropractor will provide physical therapy-type exercises and stretches to mobilize the joints.
• Targeted exercises and stretches will help to maintain the adjustments and strengthen the body to prevent ROM worsening and future injuries.

Secrets of Optimal Wellness

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, don't hesitate to get in touch with Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Behm, David G et al. "Acute effects of muscle stretching on physical performance, range of motion, and injury incidence in healthy active individuals: a systematic review." Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme vol. 41,1 (2016): 1-11. doi:10.1139/apnm-2015-0235

Calixtre, L B et al. "Manual therapy for the management of pain and limited range of motion in subjects with signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorder: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials." Journal of oral rehabilitation vol. 42,11 (2015): 847-61. doi:10.1111/joor.12321

Fishman, Loren M. "Yoga and Bone Health." Orthopedic nursing vol. 40,3 (2021): 169-179. doi:10.1097/NOR.0000000000000757

Lea, R D, and J J Gerhardt. "Range-of-motion measurements." The Journal of Bone and joint surgery. American Volume vol. 77,5 (1995): 784-98. doi:10.2106/00004623-199505000-00017

Thomas, Ewan, et al. "The Relation Between Stretching Typology and Stretching Duration: The Effects on Range of Motion." International Journal of sports medicine vol. 39,4 (2018): 243-254. doi:10.1055/s-0044-101146

A doctor could recommend alternative treatments, as part of a plan for neck pain like acupuncture, herbal compounds, and yoga. You may want to try them out yourself. Many have reported that these have really helped. Please consult a doctor before trying any alternative therapies. These are safe but should be set-up by a professional to make sure they are done safely. For example, there could be negative interactions between herbs, supplements, and other medications being used.

Acupuncture

This is an eastern approach to healing. Acupuncture focuses on the body's energy force known as Qi or Chi. When the energy is blocked from flowing this is when physical illnesses develop. Acupuncture restores the healthy energy flow. It isn't better or worse it is just different.

Herbal Medicine

There are herbal compounds that have proven to be useful for neck pain.

Capsaicin Cream

Capsaicin is a chili pepper extract and can help relieve neck pain. It temporarily reduces pain. Capsaicin cream can help with osteoarthritis and muscle pain, which both cause neck pain.

Devil's Claw

Devil's claw comes from southern Africa, where it has been used for centuries to treat fever, arthritis, and gastrointestinal problems. It is used for conditions that cause inflammation and pain, like cervical osteoarthritis.

White Willow Bark

White willow bark is how aspirin in Europe was developed. Synthetic versions like aspirin can irritate the stomach, which is why the natural white willow bark is used instead. It helps with conditions that cause pain and inflammation like osteoarthritis.

Massage

Neck pain can be caused by stress, overuse, and misuse. Misuse means like sitting hunched over a computer for too long every day will take its toll. Massage helps to release tension, relieve muscle inflammation, and pain. Regular massages could help as a preventative measure.

Yoga/Pilates

Yoga and Pilates can increase core strength, improve balance, posture, and reduce stress. These can all help deal with neck pain/ prevent neck pain when done correctly and safely. Neck pain relief can be found with these treatments. Treatments that focus on relieving tension or stress can prove especially helpful if the pain is related to tight muscles and the physical effects of stress.

These alternative treatments could work at their optimal in combination with other therapies. This is to fully address the underlying spinal condition/root cause, along with any other neck-related symptoms.

Neck Pain Chiropractic Care

Flexibility is the ability of joint/s to move through an unrestricted range of motion. To maintain joint health, the cartilage and structures within the joint need a constant supply of blood, nutrients, and synovial fluid to move through a full range of motion. The range of motion is influenced by the mobility of the soft tissues that surround the joint. These soft tissues include muscles, ligaments, tendons, joint capsules, and skin. Factors affecting the loss of normal joint flexibility include injury, inactivity, or little to no stretching. Although flexibility varies for everybody, minimum ranges are necessary for maintaining total body health. Injury Medical Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Clinic can create a personalized stretching program to restore joint flexibility.

Joint Flexibility

Body Effects

• Not stretching the body can lead to fatigue, weakness, and soft tissue shortening.
• The effect can be particularly noticeable in weight-bearing joints like the hips and knees.
• If the joints become weak, the risk of injury increases.
• Inflexible muscles tire more quickly, causing opposing muscle groups to work harder.
• Muscle fatigue can lead to muscular injuries and the inability to protect the joints from more severe injuries.
• Decreased flexibility can also lead to added stress on structures and tissues in a different body area from the source of the inflexibility.
• An example is tendonitis in the knee can be related to calf tightness.

Stretching Routine Benefits

Research has shown that stretching can help improve flexibility and, as a result, the range of motion of the joints. Benefits include:

• Improved performance in physical activities.
• Improved ability with daily activities.
• Decreased risk of injuries.
• Increase circulation.
• Improved muscle function.

Testing

Flexibility can be measured with functional tests. These tests measure the joint's range within common movement patterns. Using these tests, areas of inflexibility can be identified and addressed. The tests look at the following:

• Neuromuscular coordination.
• How the muscles return to a normal resting state.
• Blood circulation and recirculation.
• Typical assessment areas include the lower back, hips, hamstrings, knees, and feet.

Stretching the Body

Developing a regular stretching routine to be incorporated into a training program is recommended. A stretching routine should cover all the major muscle groups of the body as well as any specific muscle groups. Implementing a physical therapy stretching program can help individuals stay motivated, as gaining flexibility takes time. It can take several weeks of consistent, regular stretching for improvement.

• Stretching with a physical therapist will target the largest areas of inflexibility.
• Stretching sessions can be 20 minutes or more.
• Once these areas have been addressed, the therapist will move on to more specific areas.
• The therapist will train the individual how to stretch at home.

The therapist will provide specific guidelines that should be followed for stretching at home:

• Stretching when muscles are cold could lead to a strain or pull.
• Warming up before stretching is recommended as it increases the blood flow and temperature of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, improving the elasticity and functioning of the tissues.
• Begin each stretch slowly and gently.
• Maintain the stretch position for 30 seconds, and gradually increase to 1-2 minutes.
• Maintain a regular breathing pattern when stretching.
• Stay relaxed, and do not bounce.
• There should be pulling or tightness but not pain.
• Static stretching should gradually go through the full range of motion until the resistance is felt.
• Stretch to the point of tightness and then just beyond.
• Gradually release the stretch.
• Repeat daily.

A stretching therapy program keeps the body loose and effectively increases the mobility of all soft tissues.

Full Body Stretching

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please contact Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

Behm DG. Does stretching affect performance? In: The Science and Physiology of Flexibility and Stretching. Kindle edition. Routledge; 2019.

Berg, K. Stretching fundamentals. In: Prescriptive Stretching. 2nd ed. Kindle edition. Human Kinetics; 2020.

Ghasemi, Cobra, et al. "The effect of soft tissue manipulation and rest on knee extensor muscles fatigue: Do torque parameters and induced perception following muscle fatigue have enough reliability?." Journal of family medicine and primary care vol. 9,2 950-956. 28 Feb. 2020, doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_838_19

Gordon BT, et al., eds. Flexibility assessments and exercise programming for apparently healthy participants. In: ACSM's Resources for the Exercise Physiologist. 3rd ed. Kindle Edition. Wolters Kluwer; 2022.

Hui, Alexander Y et al. "A systems biology approach to synovial joint lubrication in health, injury, and disease." Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Systems biology and medicine vol. 4,1 (2012): 15-37. doi:10.1002/wsbm.157

Lindstedt, Stan L. "Skeletal muscle tissue in movement and health: positives and negatives." The Journal of experimental biology vol. 219, Pt 2 (2016): 183-8. doi:10.1242/jeb.124297