Sign In
Mojo Chat is the virtual physical therapy platform brought to you by Mojo Health
The human body is flexible and adaptable. This is good in some ways, but it also makes it easy for us to hide our weaknesses and imbalances. Maybe you bend at the waist instead of squatting to pick something up. Maybe you rely on the handrail going up stairs, or one shoulder feels tight reaching overhead. These small “shortcuts” often signal weakness, imbalances, stiffness, poor mobility, or poor habitual movement patterns. These incorrect movements add extra load to specific body areas which can lead to overload injuries.
Most people assume it’s just aging or being out of shape. But your body usually shows warning signs long before serious pain develops. Read on—Mojo Chat is here for you.
Here are the top 10 culprits so you can test yourself and see how you score! But before we get to the test, here is a bit more information to help you understand how important all this is.
Your body is built to share movement across multiple joints and muscles. When one area becomes weak, stiff, unstable, or painful, your nervous system naturally compensates by avoiding it and recruiting another area to compensate.
This is called compensatory movement.
Examples include:
Over time, these compensations can create extra stress on muscles and joints, eventually leading to pain, inflammation, reduced mobility, and injury.
Compensation can occur on:
Common signs include:
Many daily habits slowly train the body into poor movement patterns.
Common causes include:
People most at risk include office workers, athletes, parents, adults over 30, and anyone living a mostly sedentary lifestyle.
Initial small compensatory movements can lead to larger issues.
Many chronic pain problems begin as small movement issues people ignore over time.
Try these simple movements, notice how your body responds, and keep track of your score.
If you bent your knees when picking it up, give yourself one point. If you bent at your waist, or if you had to reach for support when standing back up, zero points.
If you were able to climb the stairs without using the handrail at all, give yourself one point. If you had to use the handrail or push on your thigh with your hand, zero points.
If you are able to do this, give yourself one point. If one arm had a hard time extending to the same height as the other, zero points.
If both arms feel loose and move into position rapidly, give yourself one point. If either arm is slower than the other, or if it cannot reach the same area to scratch, zero points.
If you are able to do this, give yourself one point. If you bent at the waist or lost balance while doing this, zero points.
If you are able to do this without touching the floor or other objects with your hands, give yourself one point. If you had to use your hands, zero points.
If you are able to do this without touching the floor or other objects with your hands, give yourself one point. If you had to use your hands, zero points.
If you are able to do this without moving your eyeballs, give yourself one point. If you cannot extend your head backwards far enough, zero points.
If you are able to do this on each leg without losing your balance, give yourself one point. If you lost balance during the 10 seconds, zero points.
If you are able to do this without using your hands at all, give yourself one point. If you had to use the arm of the chair or another object, zero points.
If your final score is 8, 9 or 10, congratulations you are doing well! If your final score is 6 or below there are areas that need improvement, and chances are you experienced some amount of pain when trying these exercises. If so, consider starting a Mojo Chat case right now, and select the body area and body part that experienced the pain. Our doctors of physical therapy will help you identify the exact area for improvement. The end result will be better mobility and less pain, which means fewer injuries and better quality of life.
At Mojo Health, we help people overcome pain, stiffness, weakness, and movement dysfunction every day.
Through our online physical therapy platform, Mojo Chat, you can improve mobility and reduce symptoms from home, on your schedule, with expert guidance available 24/7.
Mojo Chat starts with simple questions about your pain, movement limitations, and daily activities—the same questions our physical therapists ask in person. You can also upload a short video demonstrating difficult movements.
A licensed physical therapist reviews your case and provides a personalized 14-day treatment plan you can begin immediately. Mojo Chat guides you daily, adapts your program as you improve, and allows you to ask questions anytime.
And get this—86% of users who complete the full 14-day plan report significant to full improvement. If additional care is needed, Mojo Chat can connect you with trusted in-person physical therapy clinics nearby.
Small movement compensations often become bigger problems later.
If any of these tests caused discomfort, weakness, stiffness, instability, or pain, now is the perfect time to address the issue proactively—before it becomes a more serious injury.
No appointments. No hassle. Just expert help when you need it—anytime, anywhere.