3 Mobility Exercises to Get Rid of Hip Stiffness: The Mobility Band Edition

What is Joint Mobility? 

Being flexible includes a combination of both good muscle length and joint mobility. In other words, the muscles must be able to stretch and the joints need to be able to absorb forces and move throughout various planes of motion. When someone loses motion in their joints, either stiffness and/or pain is the result. A common example occurs when someone loses mobility in their hips. As a result, the body compensates by moving excessively somewhere else. Typically the low back is the culprit, which explains why so many people have low back pain.

In this post, I am going to discuss hip joint mechanics and provide 3 valuable exercises to maximize mobility and minimize stiffness.

The Hip Joint

The hip joint is made of the head of the thigh bone (femur) and the round surface of the pelvis (acetabulum). Since the hip is a ball and socket joint, it has large amounts of available range of motion. This range of motion is essential for walking, climbing stairs, and squatting with proper form. Ligaments, muscles, and a thick layer of cartilage surround the joint to maintain strength and stability. If the hip joint is injured OR a person gradually becomes inactive, the range of motion will be limited. 

Who Commonly Needs Hip Mobility?

1. People who sit for long periods of time

• Reason: the hip is designed for motion. Prolonged sitting decreases the opportunity for movement

2. Older Men

• Clinically, I find that males more commonly have tightness and stiffness in their hip joints

3. Runners

• Due to the repetitive nature of running, the hips and ankles are prone to stiffness. Maintaining joint mobility is key for injury prevention. 

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Hip Flexor and Quad Opener

• Tuck the pelvis before leaning into the stretch
• The band provides extra resistance against the front of the hip joint 

Banded Leg Raises

• Create tension in the band before raising the leg
• The band should be centered at the hip joint, providing an outer directed pull during the leg raise

Banded Heel Rocks

• ​Start in a neutral spine position
• Rock hips toward heels while maintaining the neutral spine
• While pressing forward, feel tension increase in the band

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Heafner Health is a Physical Therapy clinic in Boulder, CO! ​As a residency trained Orthopedic Specialist, Jim identifies the cause of people’s pain and symptoms. His treatments combine hands-on techniques (including soft tissue work and adjustments) as well as corrective exercises, with the goal of getting people back to the activities they enjoy most.