In my recent interview with Rafal Matuszewski, Kinstretch Level II Instructor and FRC Mobility Specialist, we discussed the difference between flexibility and mobility, as well as the missing gap in the fitness industry which holds you back from full recovery.
Have you ever completed physical therapy, been told “you’re good to go,” only to re-injure yourself when returning to your activities? According to Rafal, a mobility specialist, you’re not alone. This pattern led him to develop an approach that bridges what he calls “the rehabilitation gap.”
THE GAP BETWEEN PERSONAL TRAINERS AND PHYSICAL THERAPISTS
“I saw there was always a gap between personal trainers and physical therapists,” Rafal explains. “Anytime someone got injured, they kind of fell in this weird grey area between those two and they didn’t really know when they could go back to the gym or whatever activity they were doing.”
Physical therapists and chiropractors excel at getting you out of acute pain, that’s what they’re trained to do. But as Rafal points out, “What they’re taught in school is to get you out of acute pain. The moment you’re out of acute pain, you’re kind of on your own.”
This creates what Rafal calls “the rehabilitation gap”, a precarious space where you’re no longer in enough pain to warrant treatment, but your body isn’t truly ready to handle the demands of your activities.
A REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
Rafal illustrates this with a common scenario: “You roll your ankle from hiking. The next day if you go to a physical therapist or chiropractor, they’ll massage it, they’ll laser it, they’ll do some sort of maybe taping or some sort of movement. And the moment you can put weight on your ankle, they’re like, ‘Yep, you’re good to go, go do your thing.'”
But here’s the critical insight: “That tissue is not at a capacity yet to actually take on the stress of hiking, running, whatever it is, so that injury is gonna come back.”
BEYOND TRADITIONAL STRENGTH TRAINING
Rafal challenges the conventional approach to post-rehab fitness. “When you look at the traditional strength model, it’s very much musculoskeletal. How much can you bench press? How much can you squat?”
The problem, he explains, is that injuries don’t typically happen at the muscle level: “You get to the tipping point of you’re going for your max squat and something goes. Your low back starts hurting, and that happens at the joint level where all that connective tissue is.”
THE MOBILITY VS. FLEXIBILITY DISTINCTION
One of Rafal’s key insights involves clarifying a common misconception: “Mobility is how much you can actively move your arm overhead. Whereas flexibility, if I take your arm and I lift you all the way up here and you’re like way behind your head, that’s flexibility. But then if I let go and your arm starts coming forward, that’s the lack of mobility to actually get there.”
Rafal trains gymnasts who exemplify this problem: “She’s the most flexible person you would ever meet. She can do a full seated split, pancake her whole torso. But if I asked her to lift her leg actively from a seated split position, she can’t, she struggles.”
A BETTER APPROACH
Rafal’s approach centers around Functional Range Conditioning (FRC), which he describes as “strength training for connective tissue.” Developed by Dr. Andrea Spina, FRC addresses the gap that traditional methods miss.
“If you use FRC principles, you can actually increase the capacity of that joint, tendon, ligament, whatever is injured, and then keep pushing it forward,” Rafal explains.
THE BROADER PHILOSOPHY
Rafal’s work reflects a nuanced understanding of fitness: “There’s no one right answer in fitness. And when I find people who are very, ‘this is the only way,’ I kind of steer clear of them because we don’t know enough.”
His goal is simple but profound: “Every single person that comes and sees me has been to multiple practitioners, multiple trainers. They’ve had a laundry list of injuries and they don’t know how to get back into fitness and health without getting a flare up. And I’m that person that guides them in the right direction.”
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
If you’ve experienced the frustration of recurring injuries, Rafal’s insights suggest:
- Pain relief is just the beginning of recovery, not the end
- Building capacity in your connective tissue is as important as muscle strength
- Focus on controlled mobility, not just passive flexibility
- Work with professionals who understand the rehabilitation gap
As Rafal puts it: “Injuries happen in your end ranges that you don’t control. You have to train mobility as much as possible.”
Want to learn more about bridging the gap between rehabilitation and performance? Follow for more insights from movement specialists like Rafal Matuszewski, who are changing how we think about injury prevention and recovery.
mila aleshina
curator
STOTT PILATES INSTRUCTOR, FRC MOVEMENT SPECIALIST, ELDOA PRACTITIONER
“It’s not enough to just get fit, you should be building a body that helps you enjoy your hobbies and activities without limitations.”
