Let’s Improve Your Hip Mobility!
Your hips won’t be lying after you start incorporating hip mobility work into your routine! The hip joint is one of the most stabile joints in the body, but because this stability is needed to bear body weight, it is constantly being put to work. As a result of this, it is more likely to develop age related bony changes. However, by exposing the joint and surrounding tissues to movement variability (via mobility), we can help keep the joints healthy for the long run!
The hip joint is considered a ball and socket type joint. The socket area (acetabulum) is inside the pelvis. The ball part of this joint is the top of the thighbone (femur). It joins with the acetabulum to form the hip joint. All of these structures are very closely related to the bones of the lumbar spine, so you guessed it, hip mobility work can also improve low back pain!
Your hip has the ability to move into internal rotation, external rotation, abduction, adduction, flexion, and extension. All of these movements can be targeted with mobility work!
Hip 90-90s
When it comes to hip mobility, the 90-90 is probably the lowest hanging fruit – almost every single person can get into this position and really just spend some time hanging out there. Put on your favorite TV show or movie and sit in 90 90 for a little while! By sitting in 90 90, your front leg is exposed to external rotation and your back leg is exposed to internal rotation. The other great thing about this position is there are so many ways to advance, or regress it. Sitting in 90 90 and adding in some focused breath work…talk about powerful stuff!
Video example here: https://youtu.be/nLuvQCTPrcY
Hip Controlled Articular Rotations
Hip Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) are all about addressing the ability of the hip joint to move through its full range of motion. As always, mobility work should be done without pain and in your manageable range to start. The more work you do, the more you will find your range of motion improves. There are a few different variations of the hip CAR, but we will talk about the standing exercise today!
Standing CARs
The standing hip CAR is an amazing place to start when it comes to hip mobility. Not only does this variation target mobility of the hip that is moving, but it also targets stability of the leg you are standing on. It is important to keep your back as neutral as possible when performing these movements to get the most bang for your buck out of your hip moving!
Find a video example here: https://youtu.be/Sb5imZbEU7Q
Capsule CARs
Capsule CARs are all about targeting rotation of your hip joint and “communicating” with the hip capsule itself. What is the hip capsule? Great question! The capsule is made up of 3 ligaments that act like an envelope around the hip joint and enclose the joint. These ligaments are responsible for stability, but also internal and external rotation of the hip. Working mobility of the hip capsule itself is a great way to incorporate the nervous system and provide feedback to your brain in order to make a more effective change to how your joint is moving.
Find a video example here: https://youtu.be/JoirK2HyzKQ
Isolated Hip Mobility
It is always an option to target specific ranges of motion of the hip that may be limited for you. We can find exercises to improve whichever range may be decreased in your hip. Some of us have difficulty sitting criss-cross applesauce, others find it difficult to squat down. If you’re struggling to figure out where your hip may be limited, feel free to reach out with any questions!
Be sure to check back next week for more tips about hips!
