F l e x i b i l i t yF l e x i b i l i t y

What is Flexibility?

Flexibility refers to a joint’s ability to move through its full range of motion.

Range of Motion refers to the degrees of motion allowed around a joint.

Ball and Socket Joint

Ball and Socket Joints

- Shoulders and hips and provide a joint with a wide range of motion.

Hinge Joints

Hinge Joints- Elbows and knees

- Allow only for back and forth movement.

Other Joints

In the neck there are Pivot Joints that allow a rotating movement.

In the wrists and ankles there are Gliding Joints that allow each tiny bone to glide over the other

Factors Affecting Flexibility

Heredity Gender- females are more flexible than males in

some movements Age- younger people are usually more flexible than

older people because of elasticity (ability of musclesand tissues to stretch and give.

Body Temperature- importance for warm up Injuries- limitations Percentage of Body Fat- excessive can limit ROM Activity Level- inactivity limits flexibility Keep

your elasticity and stay active and flexible.

Lower-Back Pain Often associated with inflexible and weak muscles that

support the spine and pelvis Leading cause of back injury is improper lifting To lift correctly- bend knees, keep stomach tight, keep

object close to body, use legs to lift object, find a partner if necessary

Good posture helps to distribute force of gravity throughout the body so that no one structure is overstressed like the lower back tends to be.

Benefits of Flexibility Conditioning

Healthy Joints- increases ROM, decreased injury Healthy Muscles- stabilizes joints, increases ROM Fewer Injuries- controls instability, reduces joint pain Reduced Stiffness and Soreness- increased blood flow

and ROM, keep on stretching Healthy Emotions- tension and stress levels are lowered Healthy Image- future participation in physical activities

Hyperflexibility

Excessive flexibility

Joint is stretched beyond normal ROM

Torn rotator cuffs are very common in people who have stretched shoulder ligaments

Muscle Imbalance

When you strengthen muscles around a joint, you need to be sure to work the 2 opposing muscle groups involved. This helps to avoid muscle imbalance which is when one muscle group becomes too strong in relation to complimentary group.

Core Stability To treat

hyperflexibility and muscle imbalance develop your core stability. This is the stretching and strengthening of the muscles around the spine and pelvic regions.

Examples?

FITT and Flexibility

Frequency- You should stretch a minimum of 3 times per week but daily is best

Intensity- reach beyond the point where a muscle or connective tissue is stretched just beyond its normal resting state

Time- hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds

Type- apply specificity

Types of Stretching

Static - slow, smooth, sustained for 20-30 seconds until you feel slight discomfort

Ballistic - quick up and down bobbing movements where stretches are held briefly (may cause injury)

Reflex - assisted-stretching movements that challenge the reflexes to adapt…plyometric

Passive - against a counterforce (partner, chair, towel) and in which there is little or no movement