Feeling stiff? Struggling with your flexibility? Improving your range of motion can help to overcome these problems. Here’s how…
Heard of the phrase: range of motion? This term, which is often shortened to ROM, refers to how much joint and muscle movement you have.
What does range of motion mean?Thompson says: “Range of motion can be defined as ‘the number of degrees through which an articulation will allow one of its segments to move’.” Why is range of motion important?As we’ve seen, maintaining good flexibility is super important, especially as we age. And the best flexibility exercises can help you stay on top of your ROM.
And research backs this point up. The Journal of Physical Therapy Science published a study which looked into the effect of massage therapy on the range of motion of the shoulder and concluded that massage therapy ‘significantly improved the shoulder range of motion, especially the flexion and abduction’. While a second review, published in Frontiers in Physiology , concurred, stating that even with just 15 minutes of massage some increases in ROM were spotted.
3. Drinking more waterWe all know that drinking water is important to our overall health. But it’s believed that guzzling down some H2o can also work towards increasing your ROM.