You don't have to be in your golden years to be suffering with tight hips.
Tight hips can cause a host of conditions. Some examples are, but not limited to:
-low back pain
-knee pains of all sorts
-pain in the bottoms of your feet
-pain in the buttock region and down the back of the leg. (Sometimes referred to as sciatica)
With all these possibilities for pain, I strongly recommend doing the following exercises:
These exercises are in no way intended to replace a consultation with a health care provider. See your doctor before beginning.
HIP STRETCH
#1 stand close to a support shelf that stands about as high as your upper thigh. Carefully lift your leg and fold it onto the surface in front of you. You shouldn't feel pain in the knee or around it. Lay the outer portion of the leg in full contact with the surface.
#2 keeping your back completely straight; lower your upper body toward the elevated leg.
#3 hold the position and breathe deeply. Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds. Come out of the position slowly then change legs. Repeat each leg twice
QUADRICEP STRETCH
#1 Stand with your back toward a support shelf. Bend your knee bringing your heel toward your buttock. Place your foot on the support and sit back onto your heel. Don't arch your lower back keep it straight. Hold the stretch 60 seconds then change sides. Repeat 3 times.
SINGLE LEG HIP LIFTS
#1 lie on your back with one leg supported on a chair and the other leg suspended in the air.
#2 press the foot hard into the chair raising the lower portion of the body off the ground. Hold the lift for 3 seconds and lower back down. Repeat 10 times per leg. Take a 60 second break, then repeat the sequence for a total of three rounds.
These three exercises are an excellent start to getting your strength and mobility back on track. Do them every other day.
Tight hips can cause a host of conditions. Some examples are, but not limited to:
-low back pain
-knee pains of all sorts
-pain in the bottoms of your feet
-pain in the buttock region and down the back of the leg. (Sometimes referred to as sciatica)
With all these possibilities for pain, I strongly recommend doing the following exercises:
These exercises are in no way intended to replace a consultation with a health care provider. See your doctor before beginning.
HIP STRETCH
#1 stand close to a support shelf that stands about as high as your upper thigh. Carefully lift your leg and fold it onto the surface in front of you. You shouldn't feel pain in the knee or around it. Lay the outer portion of the leg in full contact with the surface.
#2 keeping your back completely straight; lower your upper body toward the elevated leg.
#3 hold the position and breathe deeply. Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds. Come out of the position slowly then change legs. Repeat each leg twice
QUADRICEP STRETCH
#1 Stand with your back toward a support shelf. Bend your knee bringing your heel toward your buttock. Place your foot on the support and sit back onto your heel. Don't arch your lower back keep it straight. Hold the stretch 60 seconds then change sides. Repeat 3 times.
SINGLE LEG HIP LIFTS
#1 lie on your back with one leg supported on a chair and the other leg suspended in the air.
#2 press the foot hard into the chair raising the lower portion of the body off the ground. Hold the lift for 3 seconds and lower back down. Repeat 10 times per leg. Take a 60 second break, then repeat the sequence for a total of three rounds.
These three exercises are an excellent start to getting your strength and mobility back on track. Do them every other day.
Wow! I can’t believe how much stiffer my left hip is in comparison to my right side. Is that something I should be worried about? I have noticed that when I run too frequently, I get a lot of pulling down the back of my upper leg on the left side. It sure makes sense to me that the stiffness and the pain on that side are related. That first exercise really reveals the difference from one side to the other.
It’s pretty common to see people with more restriction on one side. Don’t hesitate to work the stiffer side with more frequency. I see runners quite often with the pain you’re describing and after some perseverance with the mobility and strength exercises, they experience relief in the symptoms. Check out my post on "healthy running legs" for some more ideas.