Health & Fitness
Hip Flexor Stretching – Part 1
Many of us spend a large part of the day sitting. This shortens and tightens the muscle group called “Hip Flexors”, which include psoas major, psoas minor, illiacus, and a little of pectineus, predominantly. These muscles work together to flex the leg, that is, move it into the position of sitting, with the upper leg in front of the hip. Often, we're not aware of the actions these muscles take, because they are small, and seemingly insignificant compared to our large posterior hip muscles, like the gluteal group. But these muscles can become very tight and pull down on the pelvis, creating an increased tilt and causing back pain. In fact, I check the tension in this muscle every time a client comes in to work on lower back pain, because it's often implicated.
Stretching the hip flexors will help to alleviate lower back pain, and even help you walk more upright and comfortably. Ideally, the pelvis will be neutral, with no tilt. Such as above, "Neutral Pelvis".
But tight hip flexor muscles lead to an anterior (front) pelvis tilt, which increases pressure on the lower back, above "Anterior Pelvical Tilt".
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By keeping the hip flexors loose and functioning properly, the pelvis maintains it's proper position. Since the pelvis is like the fulcrum of the entire body, this makes walking, standing, and even laying feel easier. In the next few posts, I'll explore three hip flexor stretches, starting with the easiest and moving to more advanced positions. Accept my challenge and see how many you can do easily!
Hip Flexor Stretch #1
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Sitting on the floor with your leg bent at the knee on the side of your body, hold your right ankle with your right hand and move your leg toward your back, letting the movement of your upper leg push your body onto the left side. Rest on your right arm and increase the stretch by pulling your ankle toward your back. Ideally, the foot would be able to touch the low back (although that almost never happens!). Breathe into the stretch and attempt to pull the ankle closer to the back, gently. Repeat on the other side.
Balancing the pelvis is beneficial for almost everyone, but especially those who work at a desk or sit most of the day. To see if you've made a difference in flexibility, perform these stretches on the front of the hip, and stretch the low back by simply trying to touch the toes. Ideally, the stretching will help you to have greater low back range of motion, and definitely decrease in pain and tension. When you come in for your scheduled massage therapy session, I'm happy to help you explore these stretches more and help with any complicated low back issues you may be experiencing. I'll see you in my Westport office!
