Difference and Concepts of Proximal Stability & Distal Mobility
International Sports Science Association (ISSA)
This paper is for Corrective Exercise Specialist course.
Case study: Tom is a 36 year-old businessman that likes to compete in outdoor, high-intensity fitness events every few months. Between the events, he performs workouts with a mix of strength and cardiovascular training 4-5 days per week. Tom recently went to a physical therapist because he was experiencing discomfort in both knees when he ran or performed lunges and squats. The physical therapist discovered weakness in his hips' abductors and external rotators. The physical therapist discharged Tom and sent him to you to strengthen those muscle groups.
For your assignment, explain the relationship between proximal stability and distal mobility. If you determine that Tom has poor mobility of his right hamstring, which activation exercises would you use to increase his mobility without resorting to hamstring stretches?
Difference between Proximal Stability and Distal Stability
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Difference between Proximal Stability and Distal Stability
The concept of proximal stability can be understood in a simple scenario concerning a chain of muscles. It is therefore clear that a child should possess a strong chain of muscles from his core to the shoulder, then elbow, and finally to the wrist, for him to perform the task of picking food from the plate to his mouth (Impact Physical Therapy, 2020). On the other hand, distal stability shows that you have to ensure that proximal systems such as the core are stable to have proper mobility for distal structures. However, the focus on the two concepts, stability in muscles close to nature, is just seeking help to facilitate free mobility in the body parts far away from the heart, distal portions (Drobnjak, 2017).
Mobility and stability can be described as movement nutrients. Therefore, proximal stability and distal mobility can control the torso— ribs, the spine, and pelvis to bring about more movement freedom for the limbs (Impact Physical Therapy, 2020). For instance, the relationship between the two concepts is that for distal mobility to be effective, proximal ...