Hip Exercises
Do you know what's causing your hip pain? Before beginning
hip exercises
it's important to know
what's going on behind the scenes. Since lower
back
and hip pain can be
symptoms of a more serious medical
condition a doctor should evaluate your situation.
If your discomfort is due to a hip injury,
rest and ice may be recommended as the first approach to pain relief.
However, it's usually appropriate at some point to begin
some light exercise such as walking,
bike riding, swimming or a few
stretches.
Since these types of exercises increase blood flow
to the hip joint they are often used for a variety of
situations. They can be useful as warm up exercise to
prevent injury when doing more
strenuous activity, are often beneficial to people who sit for long
periods,
may be effective for arthritis hip
pain
relief and are sometimes used as hip
replacement exercises.
If hip stretching is what your doctor is
recommending, he or she may suggest some of these hip exercises, all of
which I
have found very useful. Yoga
and Pilates are
other great ways to stretch the
pelvic area and increase mobility.
Remember, as with all exercise, when doing hip
exercises you need to
breathe properly and
stop if experience pain.
Hip
Extension
Do this
exercise standing near a chair to maintain balance.
- While standing, slowly lift one foot and swing
your leg backward.
- Hold for 2 to 3 seconds and return your foot to
the
starting
position.
- Repeat with your other leg. Do 10
repetitions.
Hip Abduction
- Stand straight and keep your hips, knees and
feet pointing forward.
- Keeping your knee straight, lift one leg out to
the side.
- Slowly lower your leg back to the starting
position.
- Repeat with your other leg. Do 10
repetitions.
You may also
try this exercise while lying down.
Standing
Knee Raise
Do this
exercise standing near a chair to maintain balance.
- Lift one leg toward your chest, not going
higher than your waist. Hold for 2 to 3 seconds.
Lower your leg.
- Repeat with the other leg. Do 10
repetitions.
Straight Leg Raise
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet
flat on the floor.
- Straighten one leg and raise it 1 to 2 feet off
the floor. Keep your thigh muscles tight and do not bend your
knee.
- Hold for 10 seconds and then repeat with the
other leg. Do 10 repetitions.
Wall Slide
- Stand upright with your back to the wall
keeping your feet at shoulder width.
- Bend your knees and slowly slide down the wall
until your knees are bent at a 45 degree angle. Or, at a
comfortable angle, but not greater than 45 degrees.
- Hold for 5 seconds.
- Slowly slide back up the wall. Repeat
5 times.
Hip Flexor Stretches
Hip
Flexor
Exercise Stretch - Standing
Do this
exercise standing near a chair to maintain balance.
- Bend one leg behind you so
that you can grasp it at the ankle.
- While holding your ankle, slowly lower your
thigh to straighten your hip as much as possible. If your
thigh is tight your leg will tend to stick out to the side and may be
difficult to straighten. If this happens, reduce the amount
of stretching so that the pull feels comfortable.
- Maintain proper posture as you are doing this.
Do not arch your back or move your abdominal muscles forward.
- Hold the stretch until the pulling
sensation lessens. Repeat with the other leg.
Only
do a
few of these at a time until your muscles begin to loosen up
and you are more comfortable. If this exercise is
uncomfortable,
rather than holding your ankle behind you rest it on a chair.
Hip Flexor
Exercise Stretch - Lying Down
- Place a pillow at the end of the bed and sit on
it.
- Lower yourself onto your back and bring both
knees
toward your chest. DO NOT let both legs hang off the edge of
the bed.
- Hold one knee to your chest while slowly
lowering
the other leg down off the edge of the bed. As you feel the
muscles pull in the lowered leg, make sure that you hold the raised
knee firmly so that your back stays flat.
- Let the lowered knee relax and drop as far as
possible. Maintain that position until you feel less muscle
tension.
- Bring the lowered leg back up to your chest and
repeat the exercise with the opposite leg. Remember, DO NOT
lower both legs simultaneously as this will over stretch your back and
pelvis.
You
may find one leg tighter than the other. If so, concentrate
this exercise on that leg. Only do a few of these at a time
until your muscles are comfortable with more repetitions.
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