his diagram illustrates the concept of the “Joint by Joint” approach.
The joint by joint approach was popularized by Gray Cook and Mike Boyle.
Essentially this approach categorized joints/regions of the body into two categories based on their inherent anatomy; stable and require mobility, or mobile and need stability.
This can be an over simplification as all joints need both, however it is a great starting point and can aid coaches as well as athletes in understanding their bodies.
For example let’s look at the spine.
The thoracic spine is considered stable and needs mobility as the ribs attach to our thoracic vertebrae.
The lumbar spine on the other hand is considered mobile and requires stability, which is why the most common levels of degenerative disc/joint disease are seen in the lumbar spine.
Now let’s compare the lumbar spine to the cervical (neck) spine. Both regions of the body are classified as mobile areas that require stability. But when you compare them to each other you could classify the lumbar spine as stable (due to the organs, muscle and other tissues surrounding the area) as compared to the cervical spine.
