If you’ve been around the block a time or two you know that the hips, buttock, groin, and knees can all take a beating with activity. Certainly there are larger culprits as far as activity goes (I’m thinking Hockey, Soccer, Running, Kicking Sports, etc.), as well as various sedentary activities (sitting all day long, etc) that can wreak havoc on this region. Many hip dysfunctions begin as Core dysfunctions, and so you will see a large correlation between hip rehab and core rehab exercises on my site and elsewhere. You really cannot correct one without correcting the other. That being said, here are some common hip dysfunction injuries, and the corresponding corrective exercises and stretches that will help resolve them. You should also look at “The Starting Point” and “Core Dysfunction” sections to get corrective exercises that will help with hip rehab.
Hips can get stiff and uncomfortable, and there is really no medical term for that other than “tight hip”. This is a general overuse situation where the muscles have become tighter than normal and need to be stretched out. The following videos are typical stretches that will assist in releasing tension in the hip muscles, and help relieve the feeling of tension in your hips.
Piriformis Syndrome is often due to repetitive strain of the piriformis muscle leading to tightening and shortening of the muscle which can then aggravate the Sciatic Nerve. The piriformis muscle can become inflamed, leading to irritation of the sciatic nerve as it passes under the muscle, leading to a burning sensation down the leg. Trigger Points can form from overuse, leading to referred pain down the back of the leg which we call “Pseudo-Sciatica” or Sciatic-Like pain. It represents muscle pain, and not nerve pain however, and is often more sharp than burning. If you have any of these symptoms, the following exercises may be of benefit to you.
This is perhaps my favourite musculoskeletal topic of conversation. Improving the running gait can lead to significant gains not only in time, but also in runs without pain. By correcting some simple biomechanical flaws, you can go from being an okay runner who has pain with running to an elite runner with no pain while running. The exercises here are a starting point on the way to your ultimate goal.
There are a lot of exercises here, so they are grouped into two categories, beginner and advance. Start with the beginner ones, as they will not cause you harm if you do them wrong. Get good at those, and then move on to the advanced ones, as they are trickier to do correctly. Above all, take care doing them, do them slow and correctly, and consult a health care professional if you are unsure if they are right for you.
Sometimes your hip bothers you, or your knee bothers you, or perhaps your ankle does, BUT sometimes they are all linked, and one may be causing pain in another. Often the hip dictates the health of the entire leg. Since the Hip and Foot can affect the Knee, it is often a good idea to rehabilitate ALL THREE TOGETHER. That’s what this Whole Leg Rehabilitation program will do. Start at level one, and work up to level 5 over time. DO NOT progress from each level to the next until you can easily do ALL of the exercises on that level. When you’re ready, follow THIS LINK to the Whole Leg Rehabilitation page.
