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Wake up, work at a desk, walk around or maybe fit in a workout, then sit again all evening. Sound familiar? If so, you’re definitely not alone—and you’re likely experiencing tight hips as a result. The reason: Sitting for prolonged periods, without taking breaks to stretch or move, will almost certainly lead to a feeling of tightness in the front of the hip.
“Your body tends to adapt to postures and movement patterns that you spend the most time in,” explains physical therapist Cameron Yuen. Certain workouts can also lead to tight-feeling hips. If you do a lot of core work, you might actually use your hip flexors more than your abdominal muscles, which can lead to tightness, Yuen says.
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What’s more: We lucky ladies are more prone to tightness in our hips than men. Because of anatomical differences in women’s hips, ours are inherently less stable than men’s hips. This makes our hips work harder and more prone to overuse, says physical therapist Amy Hoover.
Plus, other factors including female pregnancy hormones, growing abdomens during pregnancy, and even wearing high heels (!) can also cause women to have an anterior pelvic tilt, or an increased curve in your lumbar spine, Hoover says. “Since part of the hip flexor muscles (the psoas) attach to the lumbar spine, this increased curve can contribute to shortening in the hip flexors.”
The psoas is the strongest muscle in the hip flexors located between the vertebral column and the brim of the lesser pelvis. It helps pull the thigh and the torso toward each other.
Before we talk more about how to loosen up your hips, an important distinction needs to be made. “Complaints of ‘tightness’ or ‘pain’ in the hip flexors is something I commonly hear in the clinic, but before I ever prescribe hip flexor stretches, I always test to see if the muscle is actually lacking range of motion,” says physical therapist Laura Werber.
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Laura Werber, PT, DPT is a physical therapist at Gloria Drummond Physical Rehabilitation Institute in Florida.
Evidence suggests that “tight” muscles are usually in fact weak muscles that fatigue quickly, leading to muscle ache and that tight feeling, Werber explains. Since many of us deal with both tightness and weakness, be sure to both stretch and strengthen the hip flexors to prevent any longterm issues, Werber notes.
Below are eight expert-approved moves that you can do at home to give your hips some TLC—all you need is a mat, chair, and bed. Aim to stretch daily when your muscles are warm, like after a walk or a workout, Hoover says.
Instructions:
These final two exercises not only stretch your hip flexors, but also help strengthen your glutes, which can become weak due to tight hip flexors, Werber notes.