The Hips Don’t Lie

Don’t you just love to watch little kids squat? My granddaughter gives a clear example of mobile hips and very flexible ankles! We all were able to move this way at one time! What happened?

My theory is we stopped playing, we sit more and we don’t use our hips the way they were meant to be used. Other possibilities are wear and tear now in the form of arthritis, maybe an injury or another chronic disease state that might come into play.

Mobile hips, hips that can move in all directions help with our balance, our gait and can help in eliminating low back pain. Of course, strength plays a part in all this too!

But first things first, let’s get started by releasing some of the tight muscles and fascia around the hip.

Once again you can use a tennis ball or a foam roller. I like to use the roller to make my quads and hip flexors more available, we carry so much tension in our quads because we use them often in place of our glutes (back side).

After we have rolled the front of the body, sit on the roller like a log, cross your right leg over your left and lean into the roller to the middle of your glute, you will find a sensitive spot and that is what we are looking for. However, if it is too painful do not roll directly on it.

Make sure you do both sides 20-30 seconds at first.

Okay, onto your mobility movements!

Leg Swing

• Swing right leg forward and back, gently, with a soft knee in standing foot, work from the hip.
• Next swing leg across other leg 5-8 times, then swing the same leg in a diagonal pattern, like soccer kick, 5-8 times.

Hip Bump

• Okay, here is where you get to do your best John Travolta imitation. Stand perpendicular to a wall and gently bump your hip against it, we don’t want to rotate back, just bump gently. 8-10 times both sides. You can hum “Staying Alive” while you do this….

Last but not least, the Thank You Very Much Stretch

• Place one leg in front and bring up the toe,  hinge back hips, bring arms back, should feel back lengthening.
• Then swing arms to the front and rock up, feeling the stretch in front!

Check out this video for a visual on how to do these…

Next up, some simple hip strengthening exercises!