Flexibility is an often overlooked aspect of physical fitness. However, it is just as important as strength and endurance! Being more flexible has many benefits, including lowering your risk of injury, decreasing pain, improving posture and balance, and improving performance in sports. One area of the body that people usually complain about being “tight” is the hips. Your hips are essential to movement of the entire lower body. Tight hips are not only uncomfortable, but they can make walking, running, and performing everyday activities more difficult. Although there are many potential causes of tight hips, a sedentary lifestyle is one of the most common. Sitting places the hip into a flexed position, so when we are sitting at a desk at work for 8 hours a day, or sitting on the couch watching TV at night, the muscles that allow the hip to flex are shortened. When most people refer to tightness in the hips, it is related to the hip flexors, but the hip does perform other motions which can be limited by muscle tightness as well. In addition to flexion, the hip also extends, abducts and abducts (moves away from and towards the body), and internally and externally rotates.
The major muscles of the hip can be categorized by the motions they help to achieve:
- Flexors: Iliopsoas, rectus femoris (a muscle of the quadricep), sartorius
- Extensors: gluteus maximus, hamstrings
- Abductors: gluteus medius and minimus, piriformis, tensor fascia latae (TFL)
- Adductors: adductors, pectineus, gracilis
- Internal rotators: parts of gluteus medius and minimus, TFL
- External rotators: biceps femoris (a muscle of the hamstrings), gluteus maximus, and piriformis
Try stretching some of the muscles above with these 5 stretches!
If you have hip tightness that limits your ability to participate in your daily activities, hobbies, or sports, physical therapy may be able to help. Call Respire Physical Therapy at (703) 671-1871 or click here to schedule an initial evaluation with one of our therapists and develop a personalized plan of care to meet your specific goals today!
Tags: hip pain, choosept, arlingtonva, alexandriava, Hip Mobility, fallschurchva, Hip Pain Relief, ptworks, Physical Therapy, Respire Physical Therapy, physical therapist
