Stability
Stability is defined by the ability to withstand unwanted forces.
Whenever we move, we call upon many stabilizing muscles throughout our bodies to remain balanced and produce force. If we lack stability in one or multiple joints, our movement as a whole is affected. Instability can be one of the main drivers of injury.
An injury will usually occur through the following stages:
Instability
Altered Movement Pattern
Stiffness
Injury
Thus, the root cause of many aches and pains is simply instability. Stiffness is very closely related to instability because of how our bodies will tend to compensate to complete certain movements. “When we cannot achieve stability through natural means our bodies will create it” -Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais
One of the best ways to assess lower body stability is to balance on one leg and attempt a single leg squat. How did you do? Were you able to squat to parallel depth with the floor, or did you topple over? Were there differences in either leg? These would be examples of deficits in stability.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
— Benjamin Franklin