By: Anthony Campo
Throughout the body there are varying needs for stability and mobility. Abrupt mobility in areas that should be stable during physical activity can cause injury. It is important to first educate yourself on what areas should have stability or mobility during functional movements in order to optimize performance and prevent injury. In areas that should have stability you can think of the surrounding musculature as a rope attached to an object. If you were to pull the rope the slack in between the object you would have to be pulled out all the slack out first before the object moved. This parallels what happens during a functional exercise. Injury can occur when the slack is pulled out abruptly changing body position in a region that should have stability. Getting tight and breathing properly can help brace areas that should have stability. This helps to engage the muscles necessary to stabilize the area (“pulling the slack out of the rope,”) which can help prevent injury.