Mobility Programs

 

Tight Hamstrings? Back Pain? Hip Pain? Morning Stiffness?

Sound Familiar?

Get Moving and Improve YOUR Mobility Today!

Move Freely, Eliminate Stiffness, Perform Better, and Feel your Body’s Best!

Mobility Improvements that LAST!

Free your joints! Get personalized guidance on your body’s mobility needs.  Whether you want to squat deeper, run faster, have more flexible hamstrings,  or have less body stiffness, we have a Miami mobility program for you! A mobility program will help you prevent injuries, enhance your physical performance, improve your posture, and give you back your freedom of movement for a happier and healthier life!

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How We Can Help Improve Your Mobility

Dry Needling

Reduce trigger points restricting the movement of the joints

Winback Therapy

Increase oxygen delivery, mitochondrial production, and cellular metabolism

Joint Mobilization

Improve joint arthrokinematics and restore normal joint function

Therapeutic Exercise

Unique tailored exercises for your specific needs to improve each joint’s motion

“The body will become better at whatever you do, or don’t do.

If you don’t move, your body will make you better at not moving.

If you move, your body will allow more movement.

— Ido Portal

Feel your body's best!

What’s the Difference Between Mobility and Stretching?

  • Mobility focuses on improving joint control while stretching focuses on muscle flexibility.
  • Mobility involves dynamic movements through the range of motion while stretching is primarily static and holding a muscle in a lengthened position
  • Mobility is usually performed in active motion while stretching typically involves holding positions for extended periods (15-60s)
  • Mobility focuses on muscular activation for joint mobility while most stretches focus on muscle relaxation
Flexibility science

Checkout Our Video to Better Understand Mobility

 

Mobility Programs

Click Below to Read The Published Research

Effect of hip joint mobilizations and strength training on pain, physical function and dynamic balance in patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial

TECAR Therapy Associated with High-Intensity Laser Therapy (Hilt) and Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Muscle Disorders: A Literature Review on the Theorised Effects Supporting Their Use

Effectiveness of dry needling for myofascial trigger points associated with neck and shoulder pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Click Below to Read The Mobility Articles

Effects of Thoracic Mobilizations and Extension Exercises on Thoraci Alignment and Shoulder Function in Patients with Subacromial Impingement Syndrove A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Role of ankle dorsiflexion in sports performance and injury risk: A narrative review

Effects of Hip Mobilization on Pain and Function
for Chronic Low Back Pain Individuals with
Limited Range of Hip Joint Motion

Mobility

The ability of a joint to move freely through its full range of motion without causing stress on the body.

brickell city center thoracic mobility

Keep your body moving fluidly!

When a joint can move freely in the body we are moving at our optimum levels.  We must allow our joints to move through their full range of motion to avoid injuries, tendonitis, and body stiffness.

Mobility is the foundation for living an independent life without injury. The CDC indicates that close to 14% of American adults have mobility issues impacting their ability to walk and climb stairs. Loss of mobility affects ⅓ to ½ of adults aged 65 and older. 

Many factors can affect joint mobility and here at Symmetry PT, we want to help you make sure that you are getting the most benefit from your body.

Causes of Mobility Loss

Sports

Repetitive Motions that are unilateral or one side dominant

Previous Injury

Fractures, sprains, and muscle strains

Arthritic Changes

Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis

Weight Lifting

Specific hypertrophic programs designed for strength and aesthetics

Chronic Injury

Repetitive overuse injuries

Muscle Tightness

Lack of flexibility, muscle imbalances

Inactivity or sedentary lifestyle?

Make a Change and Free yourself from restriction

Stability or Mobility, Let's break it down

Stability Joints:

  • Cervical Spine
  • Lumbar Spine
  • Knees

Mobility Joints:

  • Ankles
  • Hips
  • Thoracic Spine
stabilitymobility

Physiology of Mobility Limitations

Combat Aging to live a healthier life! As we age we have a 3-5% decline in mean ROM in joints of the hip and knee. Most evident changes that occur as we age are seen in hip adduction (bringing the hip in towards midline), medial rotation (internal rotation), knee flexion (bending the knee), and ankle plantar flexion (pointing the ankle and toe down).  This does not include any other factors that could cause a more rapid increase in joint mobility limitations.

 

Physiologically these limitations are caused by an “increase in collagen cross-linkings due to non-enzymatic glycosylation of collagen with advanced glycation end product formation (AGE).”  This causes stiffness of the joint capsule, along with the ligaments and tendons attached.

You can slow this process down with a tailored mobility program!

 

How our Bodies are laid out for Mobility versus Stability:

Let’s look at the primary function of the various body parts.

Thoracic Spine Mobility

What Thoracic Spine Mobility Helps With?

Thoracic mobility will improve thoracic rotation and extension which will improve participation in

  • Overhead reaching/lifting
  • Ovrhead throwing in Sports
  • Dancing (esp. spins)

Increased thoracic mobility will also take pressure off of your neck, lower back, and hips.

 

Why You Need Thoracic Spine Mobility?

Limited thoracic mobility will increase the likelihood of:

Shoulder injuries

  • Shoulder Impingement
  • Labral Tears
  • Bursitis Cervical pathologies
  • Cervical disc herniation
  • Cervical stenosis
  • Degenerative disc disease Back pain
  • Lumbar disc herniations
  • Radiculopathies
  • Spondylolisthesis
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ed469e426f6afacf8f29b4ee4ace0bc67ee45a32-2330x1628

Hip Mobility

What Hip Mobility Helps With?

Hip mobility will improve participation in daily activities and sports such as

  • Squatting
  • Sprinting
  • Cutting
  • Jumping

Why Do You Need Hip Mobility?

Limited hip mobility will lead to an increased likelihood of injuries in the knees and lumbar spine

  • Low back pain
  • Knee OA
  • Ligamentous (ACL, PCL, LCL, MCL) tears
  • Meniscus tears

Ankle Mobility

What Ankle Mobility Helps With?

Ankle mobility will improve participation in

  • Squatting
  • Jumping
  • Running
  • Power Production

Why Do You Need Ankle Mobility?

Limited ankle mobility can lead to increased risk of knee and hip pathologies such as

  • Hip Labral Tears
  • Quad/Patellar tendonitis
  • Shin Splints
  • Achilles Rupture
  • Ankle sprains
Joint+Mobilization+1
Baldwin-6.-The-Difference-between-Mobility-and-Flexibility

How Do We IMPROVE Mobility?

Joint Mobilization and Manipulation

These types of manual therapy techniques are used to improve the range of motion and function of joints by addressing stiffness, pain, and dysfunction. According to Weerasekara et al., “Joint mobilization appears to be beneficial for improving dynamic balance immediately after application.” By improving the movement of the joint and balancing the forces acting on it, joint mobilization can improve stability which will lead to smoother and more coordinated movement.

Mobilization stretches out tissues around a joint, including the capsule and other important connective tissues around the joint.

Nervous system changes are also important effects of mobilizations.

Pain Reduction

Through mechanoreceptor activation, the gate control theory, and release of endorphins

Proprioception

Enhanced joint position sense through increased afferent input

Reduction in Central Sensitization

Decreased hyperresponsiveness of pain pathways

Muscle Relaxation

Reflex inhibition of overactive muscles via mechanoreceptors and GTO activation

Sympathetic Regulation

Reduced sympathetic nervous system activity

Cortical Reorganization

Restoration of normal brain representation of the joint

Different grades of joint mobilizations have different effects.

Maitland Classification of Joint Mobilizations:

  • Grade I - Small Amplitude, Low-Force movements at the beginning of the range which are aimed at pain relief by reducing muscle guarding and spasm.
  • Grade II - Large Amplitude, Low-Force movements within the available range which are aimed at enhancing joint lubrication, reducing pain, and restore mobility
  • Grade III - Large Amplitude, High-Force movements toward the limit of the range which are aimed to stretch the joint capsule to increase the range of motion
  • Grade IV - Small Amplitude, High-Force movements at the end range which are aimed to reduce pain, improve control at the end of range of motion, and reduce hypertonicity.
  • Grade V - High Velocity, Low-Amplitude Thrust (Manipulation) which is aimed to improve joint mechanics and pain relief.
miami-physical-therapy-for-wrist

How the kinematics of our Joints work

Joint Mobilizations follow some simple rules based on the arthrokinematics of the joint. All joint mechanics follow the Concave/Convex Rules or roll-and-slide mechanics.

Roll: Rolling occurs when one joint surface contacts new points on the opposing joint surface. For example, in the shoulder joint when you lift your arm to the side (abduction) the head of the humerus rolls upward on the glenoid fossa of the scapula (and the slides inferiorly to allow for continued motion).

Slide: Sliding occurs when the same point on one joint surface comes into contact with new points on the opposing joint surface. For example, in the knee joint, when you extend your leg, the femur slides backward to maintain contact between the tibial condyles.

gr1_lrg

The roll-and-slide relationship is also known as the concave-convex rule

When a convex surface moves on a concave surface, the roll and slide occur in opposite directions. For example, in the shoulder joint when you move your arm up, the head of the humerus rolls upward but slides downward.

When a concave surface moves on a convex surface, the roll and slide occur in the same direction. For example, in the knee joint when you extend your leg, the tibia rolls and slides forward on the femur.

WE FOLLOW THESE RULES WHEN PUTTING TOGETHER A MOBILITY PROGRAM!

When looking to gain a specific range of motion to increase mobility, we know EXACTLY how to mobilize the joint!

We Mobilize INTO the restriction to GAIN the range of motion your body needs!!

Knowing all of this information is important when a joint is restricted. Our therapists have extensive experience with restoring normal joint mechanics by applying mobilization and manipulation techniques.

How Else Can Physical Therapy Help Gain Mobility Besides Joint Mobilizations?

dry needling shoulder

Dry needling can assist with overall joint mobility and function. The reduction and release of muscular tension will decrease stiffness, and referred pain, and allow for greater freedom of movement around a joint. Dry needling will also improve blood flow and oxygenation which will help flush out toxins, reduce inflammation, and promote tissue healing that enhances joint mobility.

The Winback uses radiofrequency current to improve the excitability of cells and the rate of exchange of nutrients within the target tissues. The increase in excitability will also increase the internal heat produced within the body, thus allowing the therapists to help realign abnormal collagen fibers and scar tissue.

Winback Tecar therapy:

  • Increases vasodilation to circulation and oxygenation
  • Decreases vascular compression
  • Reduces muscular ischemia
  • Release local opioids
  • Decreases pain.
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releif

Get Relief Now

Move Freely and eliminate hip, back, shoulder, neck, and knee pain. Don’t let the idea of ‘tight hamstrings’ sit you on the sidelines of your Miami sports goals. If you are a Miami athlete looking to improve your performance as a running, lifter, triathlete, or athlete then put your self-care and self-betterment at the forefront. With our published physical therapy mobility treatments the physical therapists at Miami Symmetry Physical Therapy can get you moving again. If you are an athlete in Miami, working a desk job, or just looking to improve your body’s overall health and wellness. We are here to help!

How Can Physical Therapy Help with mobility?

  • Long-lasting pain relief
  • Mobilization and manipulation of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, spine, hip, knee, and ankle joints have been shown to improve the arthrokinematics within the joints
  • Multiple studies have shown to decrease pain and disability through manual techniques such as joint mobilizations
  • Dry needling research has proven to be effective at decreasing trigger-point-related dysfunction
  • Therapeutic exercise can target muscular imbalances and improve joint stability
lumbar mobilization
shoulder stability

Frequently Asked Questions:

Absolutely, moving a joint through its full range of motion will move the synovial fluid which helps to prevent excessive friction on joints moving on each other and provides nutrition/lubrication which decreases sensations of stiffness.

Of course, here at Symmetry Physical Therapy in Downtown Miami, our doctors of physical therapy have extensive knowledge of multiple forms of treatment that will improve your joint mobility.

Every person will have different signs however among the most common are sensations of tightness/stiffness, decreased range of motion, pain, and decreased function.

Many different techniques exist to help such as joint mobilization/manipulation, dry needling, winback, and therapeutic exercises. This assists in rehabilitation for everyone from the general public to rehab for athletes.

Mobility is an active form of moving a joint through its full range of motion in a controlled manner with flexibility being a generally passive state of a joint having an increased range of motion.

Joint mobility exercises are prescribed by our Doctors of Physical therapy to help decrease pain associated with soft tissue restrictions in rehabilitation of all injuries including sports rehabilitation.

We use joint mobilizations when there is stiffness and a lack of range of motion in any given joint. This stiffness may be leading to further issues so we address it as soon as possible.

Joint mobilizations are graded by pressure applied in the restricted direction. Pushing that joint to the restriction helps to create improved mobility and range of motion.

Joint mobility is best completed 4-6x per week with prolonged holds for maximal improvement.

Joint mobilizations (grade I-IV) are graded with gradual pressure increases. A manipulation of the joint is a high-velocity thrust, leading to a release of the joint.

Yes, joint mobilizations can be done to help any joint in the body.

Dry needling and winback along with other modalities used here at Symmetry Physical Therapy help to decrease tissue stiffness and restriction and allow for improved movement in the joint during mobilizations.

You have made it this far... You're obviously interested, get started today!

Citations:

Mulligan mobilizations:

Short-Term Effects of Mulligan Mobilization With Movement on Pain, Disability, and Kinematic Spinal Movements in Patients With Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial - ScienceDirect

Effectiveness of mobilization with movement (Mulligan concept techniques) on low back pain: a systematic review - Mohammad Reza Pourahmadi, Holakoo Mohsenifar, Mozhdeh Dariush, Amirreza Aftabi, Ali Amiri, 2018 (sagepub.com)

Thoracic mobility for shoulder pain:

The effect of thoracic manipulation on shoulder pain: a regional interdependence model: Physical Therapy Reviews: Vol 16, No 5 (tandfonline.com)

Effects of Thoracic Mobilization and Extension Exercise on Thoracic Alignment and Shoulder Function in Patients with Subacromial Impingement Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study (mdpi.com)

The effect of thoracic manipulation on shoulder pain: a regional interdependence model: Physical Therapy Reviews: Vol 16 , No 5 - Get Access (tandfonline.com)

Thoracic manipulation versus mobilization in patients with mechanical neck pain: a systematic review

Effects of Thoracic Mobilization

Other:

Balance_training_improves_function_and_p20151110-18557-17xp3qc-libre.pdf (d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net)

ANKLE DORSIFLEXION RANGE OF MOTION INFLUENCES DYNAMIC BALANCE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC ANKLE INSTABILITY - PMC (nih.gov)

Article73.pdf (sciresol.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com)

0561_OP_July.indd (orthopt.org)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28882509/

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About

Symmetry Physical Therapy is a privately owned one-on-one, patient-centered physical therapy clinic in Downtown Miami/Brickell. Every treatment is with the same Doctor of Physical Therapy for the entire hour. Symmetry’s specialized, dedicated, and passionate team of physical therapists is fully committed to each patient’s success.

10+ Years as a Therapist Owned Physical Therapy Practice