Hip Mobility - too much?

[tmathis]

I wonder if you can have too much hip mobility.

I ask because my right hip is much more mobile than the left side. So should I work on getting more mobile on my less or tighten things up on the right?

Does too much mobility decrease the strength of the joints?

[Jason B]

Do you have problems with your right shoulder?

And yes, too much mobility at any joint will decrease it's strength because it decreases stability by definition.

[Lisa~]

Very few people have too much hip mobility. Contortionists do (and tend to have instability because of it). What's more of a concern is a difference from side to side. Even the guy with inadequate mobility overall will be at less risk of injury than someone with a big discrepancy between sides. You probably need to work on more mobiity on the tight side, but since I don't know you I can't say that with absolute certainty. It depends on how much mobility you're talking about, but most people need more hip mobility, not less.

[Lisa~]

Does too much mobility decrease the strength of the joints?

Too much mobility doesn't decrease the strength of the joints, but decreases the ability of the muscles around the joint to be able to stabilize that joint.

[tmathis]

Originally Posted by Jason B

Do you have problems with your right shoulder?

And yes, too much mobility at any joint will decrease it's strength because it decreases stability by definition.

no shoulder problems...thank goodness.