Hip opening exercises increase the range of motion of your hip joints. This allows your hips to move fluidly in all directions and avoid compensation in your ankles, knees and lower back which can cause pain and joint disorders, explains physical therapist Gray Cook, author of "Movement." You should perform these exercises before and after your workouts to minimize your risk of injury.
Joint Pain Prevention
Many people experience knee, ankle and lower-back pain because of stiff hips. If your hips do not have full range of motion, then your knees, ankles and lower back must compensate by turning and exerting more force to move, explains fitness professional Anthony Carey, author of "Pain-Free Program." This places excessive stress upon the joints which causes inflammation to the tendons and ligaments and premature wearing of the discs and joint capsules. Opening your hips will prevent your other joints from compensating the hip joints' lack of movement.
Improve Mobility
Opening your hip joints allows you to move more freely and reduce your risk of injury. Hip joint mobility, which is your ability to move with full range of motion, influences the other joints' mobility, such as your spine and shoulders. Flexible tissues around your hip joints makes your spine more flexible which influences your neck and shoulders.
Increase Endurance and Strength
Since increased mobility allows you move more freely, it also reduces the amount of energy you need to exert to move. This improves your muscular strength and endurance and prevents you from getting fatigued early during exercise, such as long-distance running, sprinting and jumping. For example, people with stiff hip joints cannot properly extend the hip when they run. Their stride is shorter in distance compare to those with normal hip mobility. Therefore, people with stiff hips expend more energy and get fatigued easily when they run or hike.
Sample Exercise
One basic exercise you can do to increase hip mobility in the three-point hip rotation. Kneel on the ground on your hands and knees with your hands below your shoulders and your knees below your hip joints. Your head should be in alignment with your spine and pelvis. Lift your right knee off the ground and straight your right leg behind you. Tighten your right buttock to maintain spine and pelvic stability. Bend your knee and bring your knee out to your side and toward your ribs without moving your spine. Repeat the movement 10 times counter-clockwise and 10 times clockwise on each hip.
References
- "Movement"; Gray Cook; 2010
- "Pain-Free Program"; Anthony Carey; 2005
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