Stretching may not be needed when your hips feel tight
Tightness can be felt even when you have full range of motion
Tightness can be felt in the hips for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, the hips are stiff because of arthritic changes or degenerative changes related to aging. The hip flexors can make the front of the hips feel tight. The side of the hip can feel tight and the buttocks can feel tight. Does this tightness always mean we need to stretch more?
We can feel stiff but actually have full range of motion, even excessive range of motion. Often, I see people who like to pop their joints a lot to alleviate a “stiff” feeling. It works temporarily, but the feeling of stiffness comes back.
There are muscular structures that can cause you to feel tight or stiff in your hips. One is the hip flexor, or psoas, and one is the TFL, or tensor fascia lata, on the side of your hip. These are the most common areas that I see people try to stretch or foam roll to alleviate their tight, stiff sensations. Stiffness can also be felt when you sit “criss cross applesauce.” What can you do about this stiffness other than stretch?
When muscles around the hip joint aren’t working effectively, some muscles tend to work harder. The muscles that tend to work harder to help create stability are the hip flexors, and when they are working harder all the time, your body can start to perceive that constant muscle activation as tightness. Stretching a muscle that is overly active because of muscle imbalances around the hip is the opposite of what you want to do to help that part of your body feel better. Creating stability and strength around the hip joint is a better option.
I’ve created a mini-workout you can try to help bring balance to the muscles around the hip joint. This workout targets all sides of the hip and includes rotation. Give it a try and let me know what you think! If you aren’t sure why your hip is bothering you, I would advise you to see your local physical therapist or other medical provider. This video is not meant as medical advice.
Here’s a short sequence to work all the muscles around the hip joint. Practice on both sides. Notice any differences from one side to the other. Start with 1 set of 8-12, moving slowly through your range of motion. Work up to 3 sets and as weight as needed. If you aren’t sure how to add weight, a physical therapist or personal trainer can definitely help!
Lay on your side and bend your hips and knees bringing them up toward your chest but not curled into a fetal position. Place a towel roll between your knees and squeeze. Engage your core to keep your spine in a neutral position and place a towel roll under your waist if this is difficult to hold. Lift the top foot while continuing to squeeze the towel between the knees.
While still in laying on your side, bring the knees up to 90 degrees and place your feet on the wall mimicking sitting in a chair, but you’re on your side. Place a towel roll between the feet and the knees. If you can hold your top knee off your bottom knee while you do this, take the towel roll away from between the knees. Practice shifting the top knee forward and back from the hip. Keep the spine steady, not twisting from the lower back. Drive the top knee forward and back using the hip muscles.
Staying on your side, take the towel rolls from between your knees and feet and straighten your top leg. Bring the hip, knee, and foot in line with your trunk. Engage your core and lift your leg while also pulling your toes up. When you lower the leg, point your toes down. Do half your reps this way. For the second half, as you lift your leg, point your toes and as you lower your leg, pull your toes up. This creates a nice connection between your core, hip and foot!
Standing up, practice hip hinging. Stack your ribs over your pelvis. Place your hands along the lower rib cage and the front of the pelvis. Notice the distance here and try to maintain this distance between the ribs and the pelvis as you hinge. Knees are slightly bent. I like to stand about a foot or so away from the wall and as I hinge forward, I shift my hips back so that my bum touches the wall behind me. Then, pull back up using my glutes and hamstrings in the back of my thighs to bring me upright. Your feet stay firmly grounded without allowing the big toes to lift as you hinge back.
As always, I’d love to know how these feel and any thoughts that come up for you as you practice!
Take good care,
Sharon
PS: I previously wrote a similar post on stretching when feeling tight for the hamstrings. If you want to check it out, head there for more information!