Mobility and Ligament Laxity

Considering that tendons and ligaments are viscoelastic, they also display sensitivity to loading rate and undergo relaxation, creep and hysteresis.

For example, with respect to the phenomenon of stress relaxation, if an anterior cruciate ligament is loaded at a finite strain rate and its length is then held constant, failure to return to its starting point indicates that the tissue has become permanently deformed. If this process is repeated regularly, it can lead to ligament laxity.

Continued, excessive stretching of this type encourages joint mobility at the expense of it's stability so that the joint then has to rely more on its muscles for stability.

Despite the common belief that the muscles act as effective synergistic stabilisers, it should be noted that the muscles cannot react quickly enough to protect a joint against injury if large impacts are applied at speed, particularly if they are torsional (rotational or twisting motions).

Because joint stability involves three dimensional actions over several degrees of freedom, the necessity for suitably conditioning all the interacting soft tissues become obvious.

Mobility should not be obtained at the expense of stability.

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Matthew Watkin-Jones

Strength & Conditioning Coach

Experienced strength and conditioning coach with 15+ years of expertise and NSCA CSCS qualification. Global work, sports degree, and insightful articles showcase the commitment to optimizing athlete performance. A proven professional.