Hip Mobility

Feeling a little bit STIFF these days?

Let’s talk about Hip Mobility!

The hip complex is one of those key areas of the body that make or break your subjective feeling of “flexibility”. When your hips are tight, everything tends to feel tight. So gaining a little more mobility through this joint and it’s surrounding muscles can go a long way to feeling more agile and spry in your everyday activities. Let’s dive in!

What is hip mobility anyway?

Essentially, this is the ability of your hip joint to move freely in various planes of motion. It’s really important in your overall health and wellbeing because it enables you to perform everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs, and even sitting, with ease and without pain. Plus, having good hip mobility can also improve your athletic performance, helping you to perform exercises such as squats and lunges with greater ability.

Before we explain some of the ways one may improve hip mobility, we’ll introduce several factors that can contribute to poor hip mobility. One of the most common is sitting for long periods of time, which can cause the hip flexors to become tight. The hip flexors are a group of muscles located in the front of the hip that are responsible for lifting the thigh towards the abdomen, and when they become tight, they can restrict the range of motion in the hip joint. Another contributing factor to poor hip mobility is a lack of physical activity. When you don't move your body enough, the muscles surrounding the hip joint can become weak and tight, which can also limit the range of motion in the hip.

We want to note that if you are experiencing pain or discomfort in your hips or have a history of hip injuries, it's best to consult a doctor or physical therapist before starting a new exercise program. We can help you to develop a safe and effective plan for improving your hip mobility. To safely improve your hip mobility, it could benefit you to start with a proper warm-up and stretching routine. You might include exercises that target the hip flexors, such as the lunge stretch, as well as exercises that target the muscles surrounding the hip joint, such as the hip rotator stretch. It's also important to focus on strengthening the muscles around the hip joint, such as the glutes and hamstrings, through exercises like squats, lunges, and bridges. It could also be important to incorporate activities that promote hip mobility into your daily routine, such as yoga, martial arts or dance, which can all be beneficial for hip mobility and overall fitness. It's also important to be aware of your posture and positioning when sitting and standing, and to take frequent breaks if you spend a lot of time sitting. This can help to prevent the hip flexors from becoming tight and restrict your hip mobility. 

Hip mobility, like shoulder mobility, is an important aspect of overall physical health and wellness. Poor hip mobility can lead to pain and discomfort, and can limit your ability to perform everyday activities. To safely improve your hip mobility, it might be important to stretch and strengthen the muscles surrounding the hip joint, and to incorporate activities that promote hip mobility into your daily routine. With proper care and attention, you may improve your hip mobility and enjoy greater freedom of movement.