Flexibility & Mobility Optimisation

Flexibility and mobility are not the same thing, and the distinction matters clinically. Flexibility refers to the passive range of motion available in a joint or muscle. Mobility refers to the ability to actively control movement through that range. An athlete can be highly flexible and have poor mobility, the gymnast who can achieve extreme passive hip positions but cannot control single-leg hip stability under load is a clinical example of this. Effective flexibility and mobility work addresses both: restoring passive range where it is genuinely restricted, and building the neuromuscular control to use that range actively under sport-specific loading conditions.

At this practice, flexibility and mobility programmes are designed specifically for the demands of the patient's sport. A cyclist needs thoracic rotation mobility, hip flexor length, and posterior chain flexibility. A golfer needs thoracic rotation range and hip internal rotation mobility. A padel player needs ankle dorsiflexion mobility and shoulder external rotation range. Generic stretching programmes do not address these specific needs. A targeted physiotherapy-designed programme does.