What happens when you try to update the software on your phone with 10% battery? The same thing happens when you tell your toddler to “calm down” in the grocery store. A whole lot of nothing. In your iPhone's case, it needs more battery life before it can update the software. In your toddler's case, who knows what they actually need? So, when you update your phone’s software, is it important to know how much battery is left? Thankfully, your iPhone tells you, “Hey, I need more battery life before you make this update.”

But does the same thing happen in your body? Does it tell you when to charge your batteries versus when to update the software? And I’m not talking about being in pain vs. not – that’s a whole other conversation – I’m talking about knowing if your body needs more mobility or stability?

It comes down to freedom (mobility) vs. control (stability). If your body needs more freedom, it needs its battery charged. If it needs more control, it needs a software update. So what do you think happens if you try to add stability to an area that needs mobility? The same thing happens when you try to do a software update with 10% battery. A whole lot of nothing.

“Okay, Nick, I need you to break this down for me super practically.” I would love to! Let’s say you're trying to raise your leg as high as you can (a movement we discussed at length in previous newsletters), and you raise it 450 off the ground. Then I go to raise it for you, and I can lift it 90° off the ground, 2x higher than you could. What did your body tell me? It has 45 degrees of control but 90 degrees of freedom. To be frank, it has more than enough battery life to update the software. If I were to give this person hamstring stretches, they wouldn’t be effective because stretching helps you gain more freedom, but doesn't help you gain control. This person needs stability work – a software update.

Same example from above. You can raise your leg 45 degrees off the ground – that’s your control – and then when I go to raise it, I also can only raise it 45 degrees; no difference. Your mobility and stability are the same. In this instance, you need mobility and stretching work, as well as battery charging, rather than stability work.

I have the pleasure of working with people across the spectrum; some need only stability, some only mobility, and most need a combination of the two. I’m currently working with a 1st time pregnant mom, in her mid-second trimester, who originally came to see us because of back pain that “started out of nowhere” during her pregnancy. She’d never experienced anything like it; “it takes my breath away,” she recalled to me, and even more nerve-racking for her was that “stretching has barely helped.” I felt for her. She’d taken the effort and time to try to support her body with stretches, but it wouldn’t budge. We assessed her, and wouldn’t ya know it, we found that her main need wasn't mobility (stretching) but rather stability. She had more than enough mobility; she just needed to learn to control it. She’d been trying to get her phone to work by charging the battery, but it was fully charged; it just needed a software update. How do we know that for sure? “My husband and I are able to take our dogs on longer walks again!” She said with an elated tone.

If you’ve found stretching hasn’t been helpful for you, maybe you’re either 1) stretching the wrong area, or 2) trying to add mobility to an area that needs stability. Just look in the corner to see what % battery life your phone has, and adjust your strategy accordingly. And if your kiddo still won’t calm down in the grocery store, take them to Costco and let them partake in the free samples; it still works for me even as an adult!