Hip pain can make it difficult to perform everyday activities. Here some of my favorite hip stretches and exercises to help relieve pain and tightness.
Wide leg trunk rotation, seated figure 4, and seated hip flexor stretches are all simple stretches to get started. They can be done on a couch, bed, or on the floor. These should help loosen up tight hip muscles and relieve pain in the hip and low back area.
Bridges, clamshells, and straight leg raises (SLR) are all simple exercises to start getting some relief. These should help strengthening the hip, knee, and back, as well as loosen up tight hip muscles and relieve pain in the hip and low back area.
Hip pain can be a daily challenge, whether it occurs in the morning after waking up or at the end of a long day. This guided, real-time hip stretching routine is designed to help relieve hip pain, hip stiffness, improve hip flexibility, and support hip joint health, whether you are starting or ending your day (or anywhere in between).
Stiff and tight hips can be caused by many things including arthritis, an injury & overuse. When the hips tighten up, it can also lead to low back pain and/or knee pain. These stiff hip stretches may provide relief.
Therapeutic Yoga is a great way to help relieve hip pain by incorporating physical therapy and yoga. Trudy, a fellow PT and registered yoga teacher from HEAL Wellness and Therapy, stopped by to guide me through some stretches and exercises for the hip.
Often tight hip flexor muscles can cause hip pain. My favorite stretch for this area is a modified hip flexor stretch. It’s great for the hip, knee, and back area.
A piriformis stretch is great for your piriformis muscle and also your glutes. It can help with hip tightness and is often a great stretch for sciatica and sciatic type pain. This stretch can sometimes be difficult if the hip is tight. But here is a great way to modify the piriformis stretch to get some hip pain relief.
When the hips are stiff and tight, exercises can help loosen up the area to make the muscles more relaxed. These exercises start with some easier isometrics and progress to a little harder.
These Pelvic Floor Exercises are some of my favorites. Since the pelvic floor muscles are small, it doesn’t take a lot of movement to work them, so it's best to start with a little and slowly work up.
Tight hips can be caused by many different things including arthritis, muscles imbalance, strains, sprains, and alignment issues. These hip stretches should help.