When was the last time you thought about your hips? If I asked you to let go of your hip flexors, could you do it?
Hips fall into one of those body-part categories we rarely think about until something goes wrong. Ask anybody who has broken a hip how important hips are.
Not taking care of your hips can cause all kinds of problems with your back, neck, legs, even arms. They are part of your trunk. Think of your tired or tight hips as a tree with a damaged center, causing the tree to lean to the side. If your hips aren’t healthy, a lot can go wrong.
It might take years for the damage happening on the inside to show up on the outside, but gone unchecked, hip pain (or worse) will surface.
I’d like to teach you how to have your hips be healthy. It starts with relaxing those hip flexors. First, let’s locate them. The best way to find them is to get loose. In order to loosen them, you need to get in touch with how they are positioned.
Chairs, seats in cars (don’t get me started!), and even tables are designed in a way that makes us roll off our “sits bones” without us noticing, which in turn “shortens” hip flexors, thus causing a more permanent tilt. There’s a good chance your pelvis is tipped back right now. Some chairs force us to roll backward but we don’t notice — and that’s not good for our hips and low back.
I have a firm wedge-shaped piece of support called an AbMat that goes in my car with me. When I place it behind my back with the thicker end pointing down, it helps me sit up and get “out of” my hips. You could do the same with a small pillow or even a tightly rolled towel, but be aware you need to have your upper back and shoulders back against support as well. If you’ve been putting off buying a new desk chair, consider putting something behind you for lumbar support (to maintain your natural arch) while keeping your chest lifted/upper back supported against the chair. I want you to relax your hips and feel your sits bones pointing down. Yes, if you are on a hard surface it won’t be comfortable, but just put a pillow or cushion under you. Posture affects your whole body, particularly your hips.
There are lots of exercises and stretches you can do to help loosen your hips. One of my clients is a dog trainer and participates in agility competitions. She has noticed she is struggling more and more with back problems. Watching her I noticed she was struggling with quick turns, keeping them stiff like she is trying to prevent pain. She didn’t realize her tight hips were creating the pain she was trying to prevent (all of this was subconscious, by the way). We were able to loosen her hip flexors with some Pilates moves, but that success came only after we identified her hips as the root of her problem. There are other factors, like her height, weight and torso length, that factor into how she moves, but that’s the challenge for me of working with people — they’re all driven by unique brains!
You can start to help your hips by noticing how tight they are, purposefully relaxing them, and “getting out” of them more often by not rolling back while you’re sitting. Add some stretches and eventually some strengthening exercises (see some of my videos if you’re not sure what to do). Your hips will thank you now — and later.
