6 hip stretches for tightness and pain

You’re not getting any younger. That’s not a dig, it’s a call to action—or, more specifically, activity. Because, even among those of us who exercise regularly, the further we get from childhood the more limited our varieties of movement typically become, leading to weaker muscles, brittler bones and less mobile joints. Especially the hips.

“We don’t move laterally as much anymore, as we get older and we’re not playing sports. Even if you’re long-distance running, you’re just moving in one plane [of motion],” says Patrick Suarez, OCS, SCS, a physical therapist based in Albany, New York. “We don’t extend as much.”

The result of this abbreviated movement can be tightness in the hips due to shortened muscles and ligaments that are unaccustomed to moving through full ranges of motion. Those effects can be compounded by the trappings of modern living, which involves a lot of just… sitting there.

“When we’re younger, we run a lot more, sprinting-wise. So our leg gets behind us, which is where our glutes are most powerful,” Suarez says. “So if we’re sitting a lot, we’re not extending our hips, we’re not using our glutes as much. If we’re not moving side to side as much, we’re not using our lateral hip muscles and trying to get those glutes firing in that direction as well.”

If you experience tightness in your hips — or pain in your back or knees (more on that below) — Suarez has identified six stretches that can help make them feel 19 again.

Is hip tightness to blame for your back or knee pain?

With the exception of the shoulder, the hip is your most mobile joint. It’s also supported by the largest muscle in your body, the gluteus maximus. If you’re deficient at the hips, say with weak glutes or stiff connective tissues, their duties can get redistributed to neighboring anatomy.

“When you have issues at the hip, you’re generally going to feel it at the knee or at the low back,” Suarez says. “Because you’ll start using your back more in ways that it’s not meant to be used, to accommodate for your lack of hip strength or mobility. And if you’re a long-distance runner, that knee can start to rotate a little bit, which it’s not meant to do.”

Over time, Suarez says, repetitive misallocation of the workload to your back and knees most often manifests as lateral or anterior knee pain or low back soreness. It can even lead to injury, compounding the importance of hip mobility.

“You’ll notice it when you’re trying to come out of a deep knee flexion,” Suarez says. “So if you’re bending your knee to go up a stair—especially if you’re trying to skip a step—and that knee buckles in a little bit, you’re essentially trying to find your glute.”

That can go for rotation of the legs, too, especially internally. “From a research perspective, a lack of hip internal rotation has a direct correlation to low back pain,” Suarez says.

Try these 6 hip stretches for lower-body mobility

The hip is a complex joint with many stabilizing muscles as well as, of course, its prime movers. The following movements are designed to improve strength and flexibility in the hips, especially with internal rotation, which has a direct correlation to low back and knee pain.

However, if your pain is intense, seek clearance from a healthcare professional before participating in any type of exercise—these movements included. Even with a greenlight from your doctor, you should avoid any activity that causes or worsens pain in your hips.

1. Shin box

Also known as a 90/90 hip switch, this sit-up for your glutes helps you move through both internal and external hip rotation to promote greater stability. 

• Sit upright on a mat or rug, with your right leg in front of you and your left leg behind you, both knees bent 90 degrees. Your right shin should be flat on the floor and roughly parallel to the top of your mat.
• Making sure to keep your torso upright and core engaged, squeeze your glutes to drive your hips up and forward, lifting your upper body off the mat.
• With control, slowly lower your body to the starting position. Perform an equal number of reps on both sides.

If you’re unable to fully extend at the top of the movement, Suarez says you’ll feel where your tightness is, whether it’s in the front hip (external rotation) or the back hip (internal rotation).

Watch Shin Box:

2. Frog stretch with internal rotation

This movement combines lumbar (lower back) flexion with internal rotation of your legs at the hip for increased mobility.

• Start on all fours, with your hands on the floor directly below your shoulders, your knees greater than hip-width apart and your heels touching.
• Keeping your core engaged and your hands planted, bring your hips back toward your heels.
• As you shift forward to return to the starting position, keep your chest up as you internally rotate your right leg so your right foot points out toward your right side. Don’t let your right hip drop.
• Bring your right foot back to meet the left and again bring your hips back toward your heels.
• Repeat on the other side, performing an equal number of reps on each.

Watch Frog Stretch:

3. Single-leg bridge with knee drive

A unilateral version of the traditional hip bridge, this movement helps isolate one side at a time to improve strength, symmetry and hip extension.

• Lie on your back, with your arms by your sides, your right foot flat on the floor and your left knee drawn in toward your chest.
• Keeping your core engaged, squeeze your glutes and drive through your right heel to lift your hips off the floor. 
• Hold at the top of the move for one or two seconds, squeezing your glutes, and slowly lower your hips to the starting position.
• Switch sides and repeat, performing an equal number of reps on each.

If you can’t perform the movement on one leg, simply do the bilateral version with both feet on the floor and work up to it. “Most of everyday life is unilateral — walking, running, scaling stairs,” Suarez says. “Asymmetries have the potential to lead to injuries, so the idea is to try and be as symmetrical as possible. The main way to do that is by doing unilateral exercises.”

Watch Single-Leg Bridge with Knee Drive:

4. with single-leg balance

This slight variation on a very popular exercise adds a balance component and allows you to better feel the muscles around the hip engage.

• Loop an exercise band around both legs just above your knees, and stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Keeping your chest up and core engaged, sink into a half squat by pushing your hips back and bending at your knees, shifting your weight onto your heels.
• Maintain squat form as you step your right foot out to your right, following with the left foot, for three to four steps.
• On your last step, shift your weight onto your right foot and pause, balancing for several seconds
• Step your left foot out to your left and follow with the right to return to the starting position, pausing on the left foot, and repeat.

Watch Lateral Band Walk:

5. Seated hip internal rotation

Strength in your internal rotators has a high correlation to low back pain and decreased hip mobility, according to Suarez. “Hip internal rotation should be part of everyone’s routine,” he says.”

• Sit on a bench or box high enough that your feet don’t touch the floor, and squeeze a foam roller, yoga block or equivalent object upright between your knees.
• Keeping your chest up and core engaged, internally rotate your hips by flaring both feet out to the sides while maintaining tension on the foam roller.
• Return your feet to the starting position and repeat.

Watch Seated Hip Internal Rotation:

Suarez says many people will experience cramping as a result of this movement because they’re not accustomed to using their hip internal rotators, which get a lot of action here.

6. Copenhagen

A slightly more advanced movement targeting the adductors of the inner thigh, this hip internal rotation exercise helps improve hip mobility.

• Lie on your left side propped up on your forearm with your elbow directly under your shoulder, your hips stacked and the inside edge of your right (top) foot on a bench, chair or other stable object with room below for your extended left leg.
• Engage your core and press onto your right (top) leg to lift your hips off the floor, allowing your left (bottom) leg to float beneath it. Your body should form a straight line from your knee to your hip to your shoulder.
• Hold the position, and then slowly lower your hips back down to the floor. Perform an equal number of reps on both sides.

Watch Copenhagen:

If you need to modify the movement, you can perform the Copenhagen plank with your bottom leg on the floor and/or your top calf or knee on the bench instead. This will shorten the distance from your body to the bench, reducing the load.

 

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