Hip Joint Stiffness
The doctor was surprised and asked me if I had ever seen a hip joint so stiff. The stiffness came and went but it is always there when you move slightly from your sitting or standing position.
I felt that my whole body was getting weaker over the last few years, little by little as time passed by. My strength could not even be compared to what I had before as a young man. It could have been due to all those falls down the stairs involved with carrying heavy items to other levels in our house for my wife who has recently taken up painting again after a long break of about twenty years which she started at her University days as a Fine Arts student. Her paintings were selling well, something she was never expecting them to we were very surprised at this- and she was enjoying it so much.
what causes tight hip flexors:
Hip flexors are a group of muscles at the front of the hip which allow you to move your knee up towards your chest and bend at the waist. Tight hip flexors are a common complaint among athletes who engage in activities such as running and cycling – an issue that can lead to pain in the lower back, hips, and knees. This is because tight hip flexors create muscle imbalances at the pelvis and lower back, reducing both strength and flexibility.
Tight or shortened hip flexor muscles affect the movement and alignment of not only your pelvis but also your lumbar spine (lower back) and even down into your knees and feet. The way we stand, sit, walk-run, etc all contribute to our hip flexor tightness.
To address the hip flexor muscles, one must first identify if there is a muscle imbalance and then work on flexibility to lessen the strain on them. In regards to their function, they help us walk or run by assisting with the flexing of our leg at the knee joint as well as bringing our thigh towards our torso – for this reason, these muscles must be flexible enough to enable complete movement of your leg.
Stretch your hip flexors by either lying down with both knees bent and bringing your foot towards you or laying prone (facing downwards) and gently pushing your leg upwards. Bend at a 45-degree angle from your trunk whilst keeping your pelvis still – do not rotate!
lower back and hip pain on one side:
Pain in the lower back and hip on one side is often caused by muscle strain, overuse, or injury. Sometimes referred to as sciatica, it involves discomfort or pain that radiates down one of your legs below your knee.
The iliopsoas muscle connects the spine to the upper leg bone (femur) and can cause severe back pain when it shortens up in response to any number of daily activities. This may be due to inactivity in which case specific physiotherapy exercises can resolve this type of back pain issue.
This condition may also occur after you have sustained a direct blow to your lower abdomen such as hitting your ‘hip-bone while playing sport or lifting something heavy. The term “Hip Pointer” is believed to have arisen from this injury where the iliopsoas muscle becomes strained or torn.
Although it can be traced to a specific incident, in many cases hip pain may develop gradually over time due to lower back problems or walking upstairs incorrectly. As you would have seen yourself, the iliopsoas muscle is located deep within your pelvis just behind your belly button. Because of its position, it can easily become tight and strained which then causes spasm that leads to pain.
Hip stretches:-
Muscle tightness in the hamstrings:
Your hamstrings are the muscles at the back of your thigh that, when stretched, enable you to bend forward. The muscle is composed of three different parts: semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris. When anyone or any of these hamstring muscles become tight it can cause you pain and discomfort either while exercising or sitting for a long time.
The symptoms include pain in your lower back and upper buttock along with stiffness after prolonged periods of sitting such as driving a car. Sometimes this may worsen during exercise especially if you do not warm up properly beforehand. Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment for this type of pain other than physiotherapy exercises which can help to reduce the stiffness.
hip stiffness exercises:
Stiffness Exercises are meant to tighten loose iliopsoas muscles by strengthening the supporting muscle groups. Stiffness exercises help in preventing iliopsoas injury cases.
The iliac muscle which is often referred to as the ‘hidden’ core muscle, supports another important abdominal muscle called psoas major. These two also form a deep hip flexor with an important role in lifting legs during running and biking.
The gluteus medius is yet another vital ab/gluteal muscle that these two attach with, thus making them even more significant for dynamic movements like running and walking. Toning up these three muscles using stiffness exercises is therefore very important for the overall fitness of your body during exercise.
Begin with the supine hip flexion exercise by lying on your back and supporting yourself with your elbows. If at all possible, you can use a wall to support your lower body instead of the ground. This will help in targeting iliopsoas effectively, especially if you’re suffering from chronic groin pain due to weak hip muscles.
is walking good for tight hip flexors:
Walking is a very good exercise for loose hip flexors as it strengthens your legs and hips. , therefore, can be considered as a great way to keep them up and running properly which is important to avoid injury. Hip flexor stretches are also a part of walking exercises since you need to walk with strength, not just for the sake of walking. Walking can also help improve your posture and be a good way to combat an inactive lifestyle.
As long as you have a proper walking schedule, it is very unlikely that you’ll strain your hip flexor muscles too much while walking. But, if you find yourself straining a lot of effort into walking or getting injured more often than not, then there’s probably some problem with the way you’re walking.
A good leg strengthening program should do away with most issues of tight hip flexors since exercising strengthens muscles and allows them to work better even when they’re loose.