Strategies for Easing Stiff Hips, as Suggested by a Yoga Practitioner

Strategies for Easing Stiff Hips, as Suggested by a Yoga Practitioner

Tight and sore hips often persist despite attempting common stretches. While hip stretches can help mobilize joints and muscles, they often constitute just one aspect of a lasting solution.

Yoga instructor Mara Cimatoribus recently shared a Reel with five strategies for addressing tight hips, especially when it comes with lower-back pain. To learn more, Fit&Well reached out to Cimatoribus to discuss each method in her Reel.

Strategies for Reducing Hip Stiffness

1. Explore circular movements: Most people live in a straight line, with limited variation in how they sit, walk, or stand. However, Cimatoribus notes that our hips thrive on shifts and circles. By engaging in circular movements like controlled articular rotations (CARs), individuals can encourage their hips to explore their complete range, improve joint lubrication, and enhance neuromuscular control while building strength.
2. Focus on strengthening weak muscles: Frequently, hip pain or stiffness results from weakness in a muscle surrounding the hip. It is vital to seek advice from a healthcare professional to help diagnose and address the root cause. Cimatoribus suggests that tightness is often due to instability related to the glutes and hip stabilizers. Strengthening these muscles offers support and creates more space for the hips to move freely.
3. Adopt active stretches: Passive stretching may not always provide noticeable benefits. Instead, consider incorporating active stretching, which involves actively pushing into the movement, often using a prop or wall for support. This form of stretching is more functional and helps build strength while improving flexibility. For example, pressing your foot into your hand during a quad stretch strengthens and lengthens the hip at the same time, leading to lasting mobility.
4. Modify sitting habits: Poor posture and prolonged sitting can exacerbate hip stiffness. To counteract this, adopt better sitting habits, such as taking regular breaks from your desk to perform stretches like the 90/90 stretch, which helps reduce lower-back pain and improves hip flexibility.
5. Make exercise enjoyable: The key to effective hip mobility exercises is making them enjoyable. Incorporating activities like dancing, flowing yoga, or intuitive swaying stimulates the release of tension, improves circulation, and promotes natural mobility. This helps cultivate a mindset focused on joy and curiosity, paving the way for progress.

By incorporating these strategies into your daily routine, you can not only alleviate hip stiffness but also make exercise feel more like an enjoyable activity rather than a chore. This can help promote a more active lifestyle, leading to better overall health and wellbeing.

1. Yoga instructor Mara Cimatoribus emphasizes the importance of circular movements that encourage shifts and circles in our hips, as they can improve joint lubrication, enhance neuromuscular control, and build strength, addressing tight hips and lower-back pain.
2. Cimatoribus highlights the significance of focusing on strengthening weak muscles in the hip area, such as the glutes and hip stabilizers, to address root causes of hip pain and stiffness, offering support and creating more space for free movement.
3. In the realm of health-and-wellness, Cimatoribus encourages the adoption of active stretches instead of passive ones, as they help build strength while improving flexibility, offering a more functional approach to addressing hip stiffness. Additionally, she suggests utilizing props or walls for support during these stretches.

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