Relative Flexibility: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Address Imbalances

What is Relative Flexibility?

Relative flexibility describes the body's tendency to move through the path of least resistance, meaning it will compensate by using joints or tissues that are more flexible or less restricted, rather than moving through a joint or tissue that is stiff or limited.

Understanding Flexibility: A Prerequisite

Before delving into relative flexibility, it's crucial to understand general flexibility. Flexibility refers to the absolute range of motion (ROM) available at a joint or series of joints. It's determined by the extensibility of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joint capsules. While often seen as universally beneficial, optimal flexibility is not merely about achieving the greatest possible ROM, but rather the appropriate ROM for a given task or movement pattern.

Defining Relative Flexibility

Relative flexibility is a nuanced concept within exercise science and kinesiology that highlights how the body prioritizes movement. Instead of a joint or muscle group moving through its ideal, intended range of motion, the body "cheats" by recruiting other, more mobile areas to accomplish the task. This compensation occurs because the restricted area presents a greater challenge to movement, leading the neuromuscular system to seek the easiest, most efficient (though not necessarily optimal) path.

• The Principle of Least Resistance: This is the core tenet of relative flexibility. If one joint or muscle group is stiff, tight, or lacks adequate range of motion, the body will naturally find an alternative pathway that requires less effort or causes less discomfort.
• Movement Compensation: This compensatory strategy, while initially effective in completing a movement, can lead to dysfunctional movement patterns over time. The overused, more flexible areas become hypermobile or strained, while the restricted areas remain dysfunctional.

Why Does Relative Flexibility Matter?

Understanding and addressing relative flexibility is paramount for injury prevention, performance enhancement, and long-term musculoskeletal health.

• Injury Risk: Compensatory movements place undue stress on joints, ligaments, and muscles that are not designed to bear that specific load or move in that particular way. This can lead to overuse injuries, sprains, strains, and chronic pain. For example, if hamstrings are tight, the lower back might round excessively during a forward bend, straining spinal structures.
• Performance Impairment: Relative flexibility imbalances can limit athletic potential. An inefficient movement pattern requires more energy, reduces power output, and can hinder the execution of skilled movements. An athlete might struggle with squat depth or overhead lifting due to compensatory movements rather than actual strength deficits.
• Chronic Pain: Many cases of chronic musculoskeletal pain (e.g., lower back pain, knee pain, shoulder impingement) can be traced back to long-standing patterns of relative flexibility, where one area is overworked to compensate for another's stiffness.

Common Manifestations of Relative Flexibility Imbalances

Recognizing these patterns is key for fitness professionals and individuals alike.

• Lower Back Pain during Hamstring Stretching: If your hamstrings are tight, attempting to touch your toes might result in significant rounding of your lower back rather than a pure hip hinge. This indicates your lumbar spine is compensating for limited hamstring flexibility.
• Knee Valgus during Squats: When hip internal rotators or adductors are tight, or hip abductors are weak, the knees may collapse inward during a squat. This is the body finding an easier path than maintaining proper hip alignment.
• Shoulder Shrugging during Overhead Presses: If the lats or pec minor are tight, or the thoracic spine is stiff, the body might excessively elevate the shoulders (shrugging) to achieve an overhead position, rather than allowing the shoulder blade to rotate upward properly.
• Excessive Lumbar Extension during Overhead Reaching: Tight hip flexors can cause the pelvis to tilt anteriorly, leading to an exaggerated arch in the lower back (lumbar extension) when reaching overhead, rather than pure shoulder flexion.

Assessing Relative Flexibility

Identifying relative flexibility imbalances typically involves a combination of observational analysis and specific movement screens.

• Observational Analysis: A trained eye can often spot compensatory movements during everyday activities or specific exercises. Watching how someone performs a squat, lunge, or overhead reach can reveal areas of restriction and compensation.
• Movement Screens: Functional movement screens (e.g., Overhead Squat Assessment, Thomas Test, Apley's Scratch Test) are designed to reveal patterns of movement and identify areas of limitation or compensation. These tests put the body in specific positions to expose relative flexibility issues.
• Professional Consultation: For a precise diagnosis and tailored plan, consulting with a physical therapist, kinesiologist, or certified fitness professional experienced in movement assessment is highly recommended.

Addressing Relative Flexibility Imbalances

Correcting these imbalances requires a systematic approach that addresses both the restricted areas and the compensatory patterns.

• Targeted Flexibility Training: Focus on increasing the range of motion in the restricted joints and muscles. This might involve:
  • Static stretching
  • Dynamic stretching
  • Foam rolling or self-myofascial release
  • Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) techniques The goal is to restore optimal extensibility to the "tight" areas.
• Strengthening Weaker Links: Often, the areas that compensate become overused but not necessarily stronger in an optimal way. Simultaneously, the muscles that should be working but aren't are often weak or inhibited. Strengthen the muscles that are responsible for the correct movement pattern. For example, if the glutes are weak and hip flexors tight, strengthen the glutes while stretching the hip flexors.
• Motor Control and Neuromuscular Re-education: Once flexibility is improved and strength is balanced, it's crucial to retrain the brain and nervous system to use the new, optimal movement patterns. This involves:
  • Conscious practice of correct movement patterns
  • Mind-muscle connection exercises
  • Gradual progression of exercises with proper form emphasis This step helps solidify the desired movement behavior.
• Gradual Progression: Changes in relative flexibility take time. Consistency and patience are key. Avoid forcing ranges of motion, which can lead to injury.

Conclusion: Embracing Integrated Movement

Relative flexibility is a critical concept for anyone serious about optimizing movement, preventing injury, and enhancing performance. It underscores that the body functions as an integrated system, where a limitation in one area inevitably impacts others. By identifying and addressing these subtle yet significant imbalances, individuals can move more efficiently, reduce their risk of pain and injury, and unlock their full physical potential, ultimately fostering a more resilient and capable body.