Hip mobility and balance

I’ve long been big on maintaining strength in my butt. Your butt muscles (glutes) help keep you upright and propel you up from a seated position. If we don’t use these and other postural muscles enough, they “forget” how to maintain balance. Picture a skeleton standing on its two little feet and how easy it would be to tip it over. Your butt and thigh muscles keep you from tipping over.

I hadn’t given much thought, however, to range of motion in my hip joints. One expert notes that “every sort of function or movement you perform is somehow related to your hips.” Your hip joint can’t function properly if it can’t move through its full range of motion or if your glute and hamstring muscles are weak. If those muscles are weak, other joints and muscles will take over, even if they’re not strong enough to manage the load. Pain and injuries from overuse may result.

Sitting for long periods can be a problem: your glutes are turned off, forcing the smaller hip flexor and lower back to provide support. Those smaller muscles become overworked, which is why they may ache when you stand up.

If the muscles around your hips aren’t working properly, it limits how easily you can move your hips. Full range of motion in your hip means that you can move your leg forward and backward, side to side, and in rotation.  If you struggle to touch your mid-calf without bending your knees, or if you have trouble bringing one ankle over your opposite knee while sitting, it means that your hip joint is limited. If you can't get up from the toilet without using your hands, it means your glutes are weak (my analysis).  

You can find plenty of exercises by Googling “hip mobility exercises.” AI will provide you with a nice list with links to additional information.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.