Hip Flexor Stretches

Hey everyone. This October, we are going to be giving you lots of different spinal tips, mostly stretches and exercises to help you throughout the day. Today, we're going to be talking about the hip flexors. This is going to be really good for any of those who have low back pain, hip pain, really great for athletes, and even those who sit at a desk all day long.

Your hip flexor attaches to all of the segments in the low back and then goes through the hips and attaches to your leg. This is a really big muscle, so if there's any imbalance, you might feel that in your back. So again, let's go through a stretch that can help you with this.

So first, what you're going to want to do is find a wall, stagger your feet. So this one, the right foot is forward. So what you want to do first is tuck that tailbone under. You might already start to feel it in the front of your left hip. But then next, we're going to bend that right leg, and then bring that left arm up, reach up. And then as long as there's no pain, you can reach over to the opposite side.

Now, this is a really great stretch for right in the front of the hip here. Now, make sure to hold 20 to 30 seconds, switch sides, do the same thing on the other side, and then do that two to three times throughout the day.

Now, if you're someone who has really tight calves and maybe you feel more in your calf than in your hip, then guess what, you can do this on your knees. So again, tuck, forward, arm up and over. And then obviously, 20 to 30 seconds and switch sides. So hopefully this helps you throughout the day and do this every day, and you'll notice your hips and your low back should be feeling better.

Be Well

Dr. Lisa