Your hip joint is the site where your leg meets your pelvis. Because of the great number of muscles acting on or crossing over your hip joint, and because of these muscles' propensity to become tight and inflexible with disuse or overuse, it's important for you to participate in a regular stretching routine that incorporates the following hip muscles: psoas, hamstrings and piriformis. Doing regular stretching is particularly important for athletes, suggests the website Sport-Fitness-Advisor, because "flexibility of the body's muscles and joints play an integral part in many athletic movements."
Psoas
Your psoas muscle is about the size of your forearm and runs from the transverse processes of your lumbar vertebrae to the top of your femur. Your psoas muscle assists with thigh flexion when your trunk is fixed, and frequently is the site of trigger points--tender knots or bands in your muscle--and muscle tightness. Warren Hammer, a chiropractor and educator with more than 40 years of patient care experience, believes that chronic psoas shortening "may occur due to sleeping in the fetal position, exercise programs emphasizing repetitive hip flexion, and sedentary life styles."
To reduce the tightness of your psoas muscles and improve your hip flexibility, perform a kneeling groin stretch. From a kneeling position, place one foot in front of your body with your knee bent. With your gaze locked on the horizon and your back straight, place both of your palms on your leading knee and gently lunge forward, keeping your hips square. Do not allow your front knee to move ahead of your ankle. Hold this stretch for one minute, then repeat on the other side.
Hamstring
The term hamstring refers to three muscles in your posterior thigh: semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris. Collectively, your hamstring muscles perform several functions, including hip extension when your trunk is fixed. Hamstring muscles are notoriously inflexible, though, especially in men. According to the website ExerciseGoals.com, a stretching program designed to improve your hip flexibility should incorporate the exercise known as standing forward bends.
To perform standing forward bends, stand upright with your feet together. While keeping your knees straight, slowly bend forward and grab your legs at the lowest possible point. Bend your upper body as much as possible and feel the gentle stretch in your hamstrings and lower back. Hold your stretch for 10 to 15 seconds, then slowly return to your upright starting position. Repeat this exercise three to five times.
Piriformis
Your piriformis muscle is a pear-shaped muscle that runs from your sacrum to the top of your femur and is responsible, along with several other hip muscles, for laterally rotating your hip. The website Sports Injury Info states that piriformis stretches are a helpful way to improve hip mobility and flexibility. Your piriformis muscle can contribute to conditions such as sciatica and piriformis syndrome, which frequently are "due to tightness of the muscle and mobility restrictions at the hip."
To stretch your piriformis muscle, lie on your back with both knees bent, your feet resting flat on the floor. Place your right ankle on your left knee, assuming a "figure four" position. Reach behind your left knee with both hands and slowly pull your left knee toward your chest. You should feel a gentle stretch on the outside of your right hip. Hold your stretch for five to 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat this stretch 10 times on each side of your body.
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