So we recently covered how to assess yourself for tight hips, here are some ways that you can mobilize your hips. Some of these drills are very subtle and you really need to concentrate on relaxing to let your hip move. The key with doing mobility exercises for the hip is to be consistent with them for a long time. This is not a quick fix. There are a lot of ligaments and tendons surrounding the hip and these take time to change to actually be able to improve your ROM.
As people age, hip mobility starts to decrease unless you are proactive. Lack of hip mobility can negatively affect how much you can function as you age. Over the years I have had many an older patient surprised that they could not get up and down off of the floor without some assistance. And the number one reason they have trouble doing this is usually hip mobility. They have trouble moving their legs into a lunge position to be able to push up from the floor. The second reason is usually strength.
In the video, the 90/90 drill is awesome place to start with hip mobility. If everyone would get down on the ground, do the 90/90 drill, and then stand back up, unassisted, every day, you could prevent so much hip stiffness!
There is a hardly a sport that is not negatively impacted by having tight hips, Running, Cycling, Golf, Squatting and Deadlifting, Swimming, and even Curling! You have got to get really low to slide that big rock down the ice.
Hip mobility is super important for you lifters! Hip mobility has a direct affect on your form. If you cannot get into correct form then this limits your power but also can make your lifts less sage by transferring force to you back.
Try these hip mobility drills and see if your hips don’t develop some increased motion. If you are having trouble making any gains with these, we would love to help. Sometimes there are soft tissue restrictions that need to be addressed.
If you are an active adult or athlete in Roswell, Alpharetta, or Johns Creek and you feel like your hips are tight, we would love to help you! At Mission Move Physical Therapy we are hip experts and want to keep you moving! Call us at 678-400-0300.
