The hip abductor muscles include the gluteus medius, gluteus minimum, sartorius and tensor fascia latae (TFL) muscles of the buttocks and outer thigh. These muscles move the hip away from you in a sideways direction, which is called hip abduction....
Your abductor muscles, located in your hips, function by pulling your legs away from the middle of your body. Abductor muscles are used in many different sports and in your everyday activities. Tight abductor muscles lead to reduced mobility and...
A loss of flexibility in your muscles around the kneecap can contribute to knee stiffness and discomfort. When your muscles are tight, they can pull on the tissues and bones in your knee during activity, which can lead to pain. A daily gentle...
Stretch your hip abductor muscles can help significantly reduce your risk for injury from a workout or sporting event. Using an inflated exercise ball can allow you to perform stretches you would be unable to do otherwise. Be careful to perform...
The abductor hallucis muscle runs along the inside of the foot from the base of the big toe to the medial heel beneath the knobby ankle bone. It's common to experience tenderness or cramping in this muscle, particularly if you have weak arches. To...
The hip is one of the most mobile joints in the body and is designed to bear a lot of weight. However, due to its high mobility and the excessive forces places on this joint, the hip is prone to overuse injuries. According to ExRx.net, stretching...
The abductor muscles consist of the tensor fascia lata, and gluteus maximus, medius and minimus. Overtraining or making a sudden wrong move during running can trigger a strain in the abductors. This injury is also known as a pull and it takes...
An abductor strain occurs when one of the muscles that move your arms or legs sideways, away from the vertical midline of your body, stretches too far, causing partial tearing or a complete separation of the muscle fibers. Consult your doctor to...
The gluteus minimus, with the gluteus medius, abducts your thigh, meaning it moves your leg outward away from your body. The gluteus minimus also stabilizes your hips, particularly when you are balancing on one leg, making it an important...
Your hips aren't governed by one set of muscles. Rather, hips are a collective of muscles working together to help you move. Hip adductors are located on the inner thigh and work to pull legs toward the center of the body. Prevent aches and...
For most women, the thighs are a difficult area to keep slender. Genetics come into play--women who are born with a natural pear shape are more likely to gain weight in the thigh region and have a tougher time losing it. However, for those who...
Exercise Prescription on the Net reports that stretching can improve long-term range of motion and prevent muscular imbalances. Joint inactivity can result in stiffness of the muscles and tendons. Shoulder abduction refers to a lateral movement of...
Of all the joints in the body, the hip is one of the most versatile and complex. Because of its proximity to the pelvis, when a hip becomes misaligned it can affect spinal alignment, placing pressure on the disks and nerves that govern muscle...
The piriformis muscle is located deep in your posterior hip, connecting your sacrum to your femur. This muscle acts to rotate your thigh laterally, assists in thigh abduction, and also works to stabilize your hip joint. The large sciatic nerve...
Internal hip rotation is also called medial rotation -- that is, moving the hips and pelvis toward the center line of the body. The primary muscles are the glutes, which can be strengthened using machines developed specifically to isolate them....
The muscles of your hips are responsible for several movements, including abduction. When you move your legs sideways away from your body like for a leg lift or side kick you are doing hip abduction. The hip abductor muscles can get tight from...
To provide the dynamic strength needed to hit a powerful tee shot, the hips must be loose and flexible. Because this area tends to be somewhat undertrained, golfers should incorporate flexibility and muscle conditioning for the hip flexor muscles,...
Your back muscles help align your spinal cord with your neck and skull to keep a mobile and flexible back. Performing actions that put excessive pressure on the spinal cord can lead to back pain caused by a shifted spinal disc, muscle...
Static stretching is taking your muscle to a point of light tension and holding this stretch for a count of 20 seconds, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, or NASM. Static stretching can be used to address muscular imbalances....
Pain over the front of your knee while you run may be an indication that your patella is not sitting where it should be. If you are a runner with wide hips and your knees are close together, chances are you have experienced patellofemoral pain....
Stretches for your hip abductors target more than one muscle. The gluteus medius and gluteus minimus work together, but the tensor fasciae latae is stretched differently. The glute muscles are in the buttocks, but the tensor fascia latae is on the...
Stretch the muscles connected to your hip joints daily to increase flexibility and release tension. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint and is able to move in a variety of ways. You should stretch the muscles attached to the joint such as the...
Intense, deep, burning pain that starts in your buttocks and runs down the back of your leg is one of the symptoms of piriformis syndrome. Sitting for long periods of time -- as is required for cycling -- can lead to the painful condition, which...
Osteitis pubis involves inflammation of your pubic bone at the point where the bone meets along the front portion of your body. Inflammation can be caused by a number of factors, including overuse or as a result of trauma, according to...
Flexible hips not only improve your sport performance, but they also allow you to move more freely during your normal daily life. The muscles of the hips include the iliacus and psoas major or iliopsoas; the rectus femoris, the adductors and...
The outside of the hips consists of a muscle group called the hip abductors. The job of these muscles is to bring your leg away from the body and also to stabilize the hips when doing weight-bearing activities such as running and jumping. The...
Hip pain and soreness is sometimes hard to identify because the muscles of the front, back, inside and outside of the hips all work together to move the hips, so when one part is tight, you might feel sore in more than one place. Therefore,...
Hip abductor and flexor strains occur when the muscle or tendon of the hip is stretched or torn due to overuse during exercise or sports. Often these injuries require several weeks of rest, therapy and medications to ensure the strain has been...
Tight hip muscles restrict hip mobility, making walking difficult. Hip flexion brings the legs forward and hip extension bring the legs backward. The hip flexor muscles bring the leg forward, and if these muscles are tight, especially the psoas...
Stretching the groin is often overlooked and can lead to injury if not warmed up. Get tips on properly stretching this area from a former professional athlete in this free video.