This video shows you several interesting and unique ways to use HIP MOBILITY drills and exercises to release stiffness and improve range of motion at the hip. These are different to stretching in that you are not trying to hold a stretch for a period of time and they also require a certain degree of STABILITY.
There is a big difference between flexibility and mobility that many people are not aware of.
In simple terms flexibility is the capacity of a single joint or muscle to move through its full range of motion. Stretching is specific to a particular movement or joints and is often held for long periods of time or used as a PNF contract relax method.
Whereas mobility is freedom of movement. It is not limited to a single joint but a combination of joints and is more movement based as opposed to holding one particular muscle with increased length for a period of time.
The other big difference is that mobility work also requires stability whereas flexibility you are completely relaxed.
Make sure you read the detailed article about this in the link below
At times I will prefer flexibility approach if I am working with a person with pain, such as with piriformis syndrome or FAI (hip impingement). However, if I have person who has improved with their flexibility of the hip capsule I may progress to more challenging ways of improving their range of motion by using MOBILITY drills as shown in this video.
You can see more about how I might use stretching, foam rollers and trigger point release in combination with mobility work with these type of injuries in the articles below
Why Do You Need Hip Mobility?
The hips are designed to be very mobile, having to withstand both direct loading stresses and large rotational forces with weight-bearing activities. It is especially vulnerable to injury in sports that involve pivoting or twisting movements, such as soccer, football, tennis and golf. Because the muscles around the hip joint attach directly on to the joint capsule, they have a large influence on the range of movement. And why we need explosive rotation in sports and even in some daily activities, these forces place tremendous strain on your ligaments, tendons and muscular structures designed to protect the joint. A loss of mobility at this joint forces other joints to sacrifice their integrity in order to find the lost range of movement. This is a potential disaster and where we see many knee and back injuries created. Read the article in the link below to see a detailed explanation of how this works.
Sometimes hip stiffness is not due to a lack of flexibility, but due to a lack of strength and stability. This means that only stability and strengthening will provide the solution and stretching may make matters worse! Constant hip and butt gripping is a common problem I see today that ruins hip mechanics and posture during movement. Many times during the video I make note that you MUST maintain an anterior pelvic tilt to ensure the hip is preserved in optimal position. The consequences of using this strategy are that a person is now set up for potential problems at the hip where we see what is known as “anterior femoral glide syndrome” where the femoral heads have moved excessively forward and overly compressed in the acetabulum. The hip is a ball and socket joint designed to be able to handle the forces of weight-bearing (walking, running, jumping etc.) throughout the day. Because of this, it is inherently strong and stable. The ball portion is the head of the femur and the socket portion is part of the pelvis known as the acetabulum.The postural changes from excessive hip stretching and squeezing of glutes and abs have a direct impact on how you move and greatly inhibit your ability to center the head of the femur within the hip socket.
To fully grasp this concept make sure you read the articles in the link below
Lastly if you suffer with piriformis syndrome make sure you grab a copy of our detailed online program in the link below
