Happy Hips

Raise your hand if you've been experiencing a whole lot of aches and pains from sitting all day long. In general, we sit too much. Our hips are contracted whenever we're sitting. "When we sit for extended periods of time, the hips are flexed, or bent, and the large, powerful muscles that cross the front of the hip—the hip flexors—are in a shortened position," says Brian Hoke, DPT, physical therapist. "This leads to tightness of these muscles." According to him, all it takes is more than 30 minutes of sitting to start feeling the negative effects on our body. "We begin to see a loss of elasticity in the muscles, and this can be more pronounced as we get older and the muscles become a bit less pliable."

 But the importance of hip mobility isn't just for the sake of our hips themselves: Tight hips can lead to a domino effect of other body pain hotspots and even injuries. "The problem from sitting for long periods of time can manifest as pain in the back, hip, or knee," says Dr. Hoke. "The hip flexors actually originate in the lower back, so when they get tight, it can place stress on the lumbar spine." Or you could experience pain in the front of your hip, either from muscle shortening or a pinching feeling from the rim around the hip joint socket.

 This means that having flexible, mobile hips is so important for overall health and mobility. "Hip mobility is critical for healthy movement and injury prevention," says Corinne Croce, DPT, physical therapist.

 Time for some yummy stretches to improve our hip flexibility!