I would like to welcome you to another Facebook Live Video. This video is based on a question that we got on the Healing Through Movement Facebook Fan Page:
It’s from Heather:
“Loosening my hip flexor on my right side has been really a tough challenge. I use a wheelchair for mobility which causes the hip flexor to shorten. Any extra idea is awesome.”
What exercises can she do to loosen up her hips?
How I interpreted it is that she has probably having a difficult time moving from standing to the floor.
What I wanted to go through with Heather, and I think this will be helpful to you as well, is to go through 5-bed exercises that you can do to loosen up your hips.
We will use a massage table or plinth, or anything that replicates bed height.
A lot of my clients may have difficulty in standing. They definitely have difficulty going from standing to the floor and from the floor going up. They are looking for either exercise they can do on the floor or what works really well are exercises that you can do in your bed. These are a lot easier to go from standing into the bed and out of the bed as opposed to exercises all the way down the floor.
Let me go through 5 Bed Exercises that you can do to loosen up your hips.
#1- Rotating the Legs In and Out
Lie on your back, relaxing your upper body. You can place your arms on the sides of your arms or at your hips. Separate your legs about 30 or 45 degrees from the center. Rotate the legs in and out, focusing on the movement happening in the thighs.
Rotating the Legs In and Out
Start off with 1 set of 5 repetitions. Perform a smooth, controlled movement with a quick stop at the end position. The intensity is light to loosen up the internal and external rotators of the hip.
If you have hip pain, poor core stability, or poor hip stability, the body will compensate by tightening up the muscles in the hip, especially the internal and external rotators in order to create more stability. That compensation to create more stability relates to an imbalance which will tighten up the hips and lead to other issues.
#2 – Bridging on the Bed
Lie on your back on the floor or on the bed, relaxing your upper body. Bend your knees and flatten your feet on the floor. Tighten your abdominal area. Push through the heels, lift your hips up and go to a point where your knees, hips, and shoulders are in good alignment.
Bridging on the Bed
Start off with 1 set of 5 repetitions. Perform in a smooth, controlled movement with a good stop at the end position. Intensity is light to moderate, working on activating the glutes. Activating the glutes will help release the hips, but also being in that top position, you are working on stretching front of the hips.
#3a – Moving on to your side – Front View
Lie on your side. Extend your arm with the head resting on that arm. Using the top leg, bring the heel towards the sit. Using the same side arm, grab the front of the foot and bring the heel to the sit. Look for a light stretch at the front of the thigh or quadriceps. Hold back for 20 seconds.
Moving on to your side – Front View
If you don’t feel anything or not much benefit from this, you can bend your knee and grasp the foot with your hand which will intensify the stretch. By bringing the knee back, we are bringing the hip flexors more, targeting the quadriceps.
Moving on to your side – Back View
Start off with 1 set of 2 repetitions, alternating back and forth in a smooth, controlled movement. Hold the end position for 20 seconds.
If it is too much to keep moving from one side to the other, you can go through both repetitions on the same side. Intensity is light. If you bring that knee back a bit, you are stretching out the quadriceps and the hip flexors, loosening up the hips more.
#4 – Bridging on a Foam Roller
In this exercise, use a foam roller. If you do not have a foam roller, you could use the pillows in bed. Bridge up and put the foam roller in the pelvic area. While in the bridge position, straighten out your leg and hold that position.
Progression:
Bridge up and bring the roller to your pelvic area. Straighten out your leg and pivot through the pelvis, stretching out that front of the hip. Do not put too much arch in your back. Keep it as neutral as you can.
Bridging on a Foam Roller
Start off with 1 set of 2 repetitions, alternating back and forth. Perform in a smooth, controlled movement. Hold at the end position for 20 seconds. Intensity is light, targeting the hip flexors on a floor or bed position.
#5 – Leg Off the Bed
Move to the edge of the bed. Grab the opposite side of the plinth and bring the leg over the edge of the bed. With this position, it is going to intensify the stretch in front of the hip.
Leg Off the Bed
Start off with 1 set of 2 repetitions. Hold for 10 seconds. Do it on the other side. Intensity is light to stretch out the front of the hip flexors.
If you try some of these exercises and you feel some benefit from them, there is a good chance that you have a tight hip flexor and it can affect your body in numerous ways. What I would recommend for you to do is to check out my “Unlock Your Tight Hip Flexors” program and you can do that by checking out the link below. The program has been hugely successful and helped numerous people. I can confidently say that thousands of people benefited from that program.
Take Care!
Rick Kaselj, MS
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