Hip pain is frustrating and aggravating, it can keep you from doing things you love. Your hips drive your movement and are home to your body’s most powerful muscles. There can be many causes for hip pain and to figure out exactly what is going on with YOUR hip you need a thorough assessment by a professional who understands the hips, pelvis, biomechanics, and how it connects to the rest of your body and life. At Kineci we believe in a holistic approach in which we understand and appreciate that your hip is not isolated but an integrated part of Your Body-Mind-&-Spirit.
If your hip is bothering you here are 3 simple exercises and 3 tips you can do to help yourself start to feel better and move easier.
Sitting wreaks havoc on your hips. Our society is one of lots of sitting. Sitting at work, sitting in the car, sitting for meals, and sitting on the couch. Sitting creates tight muscles, weak and inhibited muscles, and imbalances throughout the body. These imbalances not only can aggravate your hips but also negatively affects many other parts of your body like your spine, knees, and shoulders to name a few.
If you find yourself sitting a lot at Kineci we recommend 2 minute work breaks. You can stand and in 2 minutes do a lot of good for your hip and whole body by stretching your hips and trunk. Stretch your hips and/or trunk for 20 sec – 20 sec – 20 seconds on one half of your body in all 3 planes of motion, then switch sides and repeat. In 2 minutes you can do your body a world of good and ease your angry hip.
Sleeping can be disturbed when your hip is bothering you. It’s really frustrating when your hip is keeping you up at night. Often times just finding the right position can help ease the pain and let you rest.
Use pillows to prop and support your legs to find comfort. Often lying on your non-painful side with a pillow between your knees can help. Be sure to have the pillow support as much of the top leg as possible from hip to ankle. You don’t want part of your leg dangling unsupported. You may need to try different thickness of pillows to find the right fit.
Static standing, or standing in place can be more aggravating than moving. If you find yourself needing to stand such as at a cocktail party or waiting in a long line – keep moving. Standing in place without moving makes the muscles start to tighten up and limits blood flow to your parts. Many people with hip pain complain that standing is worse than walking.
If you need to stand keep moving. Sway back and forth side to side, forward and back, and twist your pelvis. You can do small movements that don’t draw a lot of attention to yourself. Keep shifting your weight from leg to leg and keep changing your feet positions (Left forward, Right forward, wide, narrow, toes in, toes out).
(for pain relief and mobility)
Stand with one foot forward, one back. It is helpful to hold onto something sturdy like a doorway or countertop. Move your hips and body in 3 directions:
Switch legs and repeat work up to 2-3 sets
(for pain relief and mobility)
Stand like above with one foot forward, and one back, but turn the back foot OUT 90 deg. This targets your groin and inner hip. It is helpful to hold onto something sturdy like a doorway or countertop. Move your hips and body in 3 directions:
Circles both ways (20 seconds = about 5 reps each way)
(hip muscles activation exercise)
Stand with one foot forward and one foot back. Using the same hand as your back leg reach around to the outside of your front knee. Allow your hips and knees to bend to get your hand around the corner of your front leg.
Do 10-15 reps Switch sides and repeat work up to 2-3 sets
Dr. Steve Politis, PT, DPT, FAFS, FAAOMPT, CKTP, CSCS, MovNat L1 is owner and operator of Kineci Health & Movement Center a holistic movement center. Dr. Steve’s passion is helping people Feel Better and Function Better. He loves learning about and understanding the body so he can help people more effectively. His passion for lifelong learning has led him to achieve two post-graduate Fellowships. He is a Fellow of Applied Functional Science (FAFS) from the Gray Institute which is a deep study in understanding the biomechanics of the body, how it is an interconnected and integrated system with every person being a unique individual. He is also a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT) which was a two year long study in differential diagnosis, manual therapy techniques, and tissue specific healing. He is one of only a handful of physical therapists in the world with this combination of education and training putting him in the top 1% of educated and skilled physical therapists in the country.
Kineci Health & Movement Center has been the culmination of Dr. Steve’s vision for creating a Center of Excellence for providing natural alternatives to the traditional ‘sick care’ model of our current broken health care system. At Kineci we believe Your Health is YOUR Choice and should not be dictated by others. We believe in YOU! We are here for YOU! Let Kineci help YOU Feel Better and Function Better.
Kineci = Movement Medicine (Kinesis = Movement + Medicine)
