Hip Mobility and Low Back Pain: Understanding the Connection
Hip mobility and low back pain are closely linked. When your hips lack mobility, your lower back often compensates, leading to discomfort and pain. On the other hand, low back pain can restrict hip movement, creating a cycle of tension in both areas.
How Tight Hips Affect Your Lower Back
Restricted hip mobility limits the range of motion in your lower back. As a result, your lumbar spine (lower back) compensates for the lack of hip movement, placing extra stress on the muscles and joints in the back. This added strain can lead to pain and discomfort.
Tight muscles like the hip flexors and glutes can also cause an anterior pelvic tilt, a posture that often contributes to low back pain. This tilt increases the lordotic curve (natural inward curve) in the lumbar spine, putting extra pressure on the lower back muscles and intensifying pain.
Improving Hip Mobility to Reduce Back Pain
To break the cycle, focus on improving hip mobility. Stretching and strengthening the hip muscles can reduce the strain on your lower back by preventing it from compensating for tight hips.
Addressing low back pain directly can also improve your hip mobility. When you reduce compensations in your lower back, your hips can regain their natural movement.
Try These Simple Hip Stretches
Here are two basic hip stretches to help improve mobility and ease back pain. Move into each stretch slowly and hold for 20 seconds on each side.
- Hip Flexor Stretch
This stretch targets the front of the hip to release tightness and improve hip joint mobility.
- Gluteal Stretch
Stretching your glutes helps release tension in the hips, improving overall mobility and relieving discomfort.
Improving hip mobility is a powerful way to reduce low back pain. Regularly stretching the hips can relieve strain on your lower back and help break the cycle of discomfort. Make these stretches a part of your routine to experience lasting relief and better mobility.
 
If your back or hip pain persists though it might be an indication to come in for an assessment and treatment so we can help you further.
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