Joint Mobilisations

If a joint becomes locked or restricted in any particular direction then you may experience pain and/or stiffness. Joint mobilisation techniques focus on attaining a normal range of pain-free joint motion. Joint mobilisations usually involve applying force that would mimic the glide that happens in between the bones. The passive movement applied is usually done at a slow speed, with or without oscillations or a stretch. This technique is usually graded from 1 to 5, and is varied based on two factors: pain tolerance of the patient and the severity of the patient’s condition.

Any joint that is lacking sufficient motion may be mobilised. This includes the spine; mobilisations on the vertebrae of the neck, middle and lower back and sacroiliac joint, as well as to all of the joint of the extremities such as the shoulder, wrist, hip, knee, foot and ankle.

The main aim of joint mobilisation is to restore the normal joint play that might have been compromised by damage or injury.  Normal motion of the affected joint will be restored more quickly if it is addressed early in the treatment program. 

Other benefits of joint mobilisations include decreased muscle spasms and tension, increased freedom of movement, decreased pain. As a result of joint mobilisation the patient can become more aware of correct joint position and normal movement which can also help to improve posture and reduce pain.

At Ruth Mills Therapies, only gentle joint mobilisations are administered to improve joint range of motion, you won’t experience any sharp sudden clicks or crunches!  Sometimes when the joint is mobilised you may feel a “pop” as the joint capsule is released. This shouldn’t be painful as mobilisations are graded to take into account pain tolerance and severity. Once normal joint range of movement has been restored, the surrounding muscles can now function more effectively, helping to reduce muscular tightness.