Tight hips are often the source of lower back pain. To alleviate this issue, you need to stretch and strengthen the muscles that support your hips.
Stretching tight hips not only increases mobility, but it can also reduce inflammation. Give these exercises a try to see what helps ease your hip pain today!
Lying Hip Rotation
No matter if you are an elite athlete or simply want more out of your workouts, there are various exercises for tight hips that can help increase range of motion and strength in these joints. This is especially helpful when doing activities such as jumping, running, changing directions, and climbing stairs.
Tight hips and lack of internal rotation in the hips often lead to other problems such as low back pain, knee pain, and overall poor lower extremity and hip mobility. Furthermore, when joints don’t rotate correctly due to tight hips, other joints must take on additional stresses they weren’t designed to bear.
The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint that connects your femur (thigh bone) to the pelvic acetabulum. It’s surrounded by 17 muscles which enable you to move your legs in various directions such as forward and backward, side to side, in and out, as well as rotate them.
Lying Hip Rotation is an exercise designed to increase hip mobility and range of motion in people with tight hips. Additionally, it helps reduce tension in the hamstrings, glutes, and hip flexors.
This pose can be performed while sitting or lying on your back. Begin by bending your knees and placing them on the floor, with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart for stability. Inhale deeply, hold for 3 to 5 seconds, and then slowly return your knees to their original positions on the floor.
Repeat on the other side for a total of about 10 repetitions. If you require additional assistance with this stretch, use a resistance strap to hold your knees in place.
This warm-up exercise can be added into any dynamic hip movement such as squats, deadlifts and hinged exercises like lateral and forward pendulums. Additionally, it allows you to work through the full range of hip internal rotation and external rotation.
Bridge Pose
Bridge pose helps stretch and strengthen hip flexors, improves posture, increases circulation and decreases pain. It also tones chest and stomach areas while relieving inflammation and aiding digestion – making it beneficial for people suffering from thyroid imbalances as well as menopause in women.
Start by lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat against the floor. Slide your arms alongside your body, clasping them below your pelvis. Inhale deeply while pressing your feet, shoulders, and arms into the floor; lift up your hips and chest on an exhale to release all tension throughout your entire body.
If you are new to this pose, try placing a block or pillow underneath your hips for support. A block will help maintain your spine in an upright position – essential for having the safest experience possible.
Alternately, you can interlace your fingers and push them onto the floor to raise your torso a bit higher. Or interlace both hands together, point them toward your lower back with thumbs pointing sideways, holding for several breaths.
Another common misstep when performing this pose is letting the feet roll out to the sides, which can open up ankles and knees without providing adequate stretching for quadriceps and hip flexors. Without these muscles working together, this pose becomes less effective overall.
It is essential to engage your glutes when performing this pose, as they provide structural integrity and keep the pose from becoming overarching. Additionally, keeping your glutes active helps avoid injuries associated with this position such as hip impingement or knee injury.
One gentle variation of this pose is to walk the heels out further while in bridge position, bringing your knees closer to the front of your mat. You may also wiggle your knees slightly side to side while holding this pose for strengthening quadriceps and hip flexors.
Lunges
If you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk or driving your car, your hip muscles may become tight and weak with age. This makes it difficult to move, stand up, and walk properly – leading to hip pain and other symptoms.
If your hips are feeling tight, try some easy exercises to stretch and strengthen them. This will make you more comfortable and help prevent future problems from arising.
It’s essential to do these exercises consistently. Doing them daily will help reduce hip pain and prevent it from returning. You can even do them when you don’t feel sore to keep stretching and strengthening your muscles.
Certain exercises can be painful and others might not be suitable for you; consult with a healthcare professional if you’re worried about any injuries or symptoms.
Lunges are an excellent exercise for your hips that can strengthen muscles and increase flexibility. Additionally, they promote general fitness levels.
Start by bending forward at the knee of your front leg until you can feel a gentle stretch in your hips. Hold for several seconds and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat on the other leg, making any necessary modifications for individual needs.
Once your quads, glutes and hamstrings feel loose, try stepping backward into lunges for additional strengthening of these areas.
When it comes to lunges, there are plenty of variations for you to choose from depending on your strength and fitness level. The most popular type is the forward lunge, but there are plenty of others you can try out as well.
When performing lunges, always include a variety of movements and ranges of motion so that all the muscles involved in moving your hips are strengthened.
Before performing lunges, it’s wise to warm up your muscles as cold muscles can lead to injury. Jumping jacks, sidestepping, skipping or jogging in place are all effective ways of doing this.
Another effective way to loosen your hip flexors is using a foam roller. This helps break down muscle tissue and increases blood flow to your hips. Working with an experienced sports or remedial massage therapist may also provide relief from tight hips.
Side Stretch
Johnson notes that tight hip muscles can lead to various conditions and issues. These include low back pain, poor posture, and weak glutes. Furthermore, these restrictions affect your balance and mobility.
If your hips feel tight, a simple way to loosen them is by stretching daily. Doing stretches regularly not only improves hip flexibility, but it also strengthens other important joints like shoulders, elbows and ankles.
Start with the overhead side reach stretch, which you can do while standing or sitting. It’s an incredibly versatile exercise that’s convenient to do anywhere with no equipment required.
To perform this stretch, stand with your feet approximately hip-width apart and flex your right foot toward you until you feel a stretch in the front of your leg (on the knee that is on the floor). Repeat with the left leg.
Alternatively, you can do the stretch while lying flat on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your left hand on top of your right knee, pulling gently up towards chest level before moving it towards your shoulder. Hold for 30 seconds.
Another effective stretch for tight hips and hip pain is the reverse prayer pose. This seated position, which you can do in the office or at home, provides a deep stretch to your hamstrings, calves, hips and lower back.
You can do the stretch while lying down on your stomach or sitting in a chair with feet straight out in front of you. No matter which position you select, try to keep your back straight and avoid arching your spine.
When stretching, always listen to your body and move slowly. If any discomfort or pain develops during the stretch, cease immediately and seek medical advice. Even if you don’t experience discomfort or pain when stretching, it is still beneficial to do so regularly as this will improve mobility and prevent recurring discomfort. Furthermore, stretching can strengthen and stretch muscles which helps protect against injuries by strengthening and stretching them beforehand.