Healthy Hips are the key

Doesn't this lady on the right remind you of your grandmother?

I consider it my job to be an expert in how people move.  Addressing that gives you the ability to reduce the stress on your body that ends up as pain, injuries, medication, surgery, canes, wheelchairs, etc......and it improves performance for athletes.  The number one issue I see on a daily basis is people's inability to use their hips!

This post is relevant to a number of people.  It might be you if:

1) Your knees ever hurt?
2) Your back ever hurts?
3) When playing sports, you want more power or strength?

The number one way that the body creates force is to move the hips from hip flexion to hip extension.  Think of a bridging exercise while lying on your back.  Check out the picture to the right.

That movement is utilized in so many movements when we're creating large forces.  Exercising, the golf swing, the baseball swing and throw, tennis, olympic lifting and the list goes on...

He starts with a bend at the hips, then ends without any.  That's the hips going from flexion to extension.

When performing any movement that puts a lot of stress on the body, it's important to keep the spine neutral.  That's why during a movement like deadlifting, you should notice a lot of hip flexion at the bottom of the movement, but no spinal flexion(bending forward).

This is the best picture I could find.  He's really doing more of a deadlift than a squat, but no matter.  Imagine starting in the standing positing, the descending into the position of the left.  Notice how far back the butt travels.  That's what we call a hip hinge.  It's keeping the spine neutral and safe, while keeping the knee from traveling too far forward beyond the toes.

To test if you have adequate hip movement, grab a broomstrick.  Align it behind your back with one hand behind your neck, and one hand in the small of your back.  Maintain contact with the broomstick at the back of your head, the middle of your back, and your butt.  Are you able to push your butt back until your spine is at approximately 45 degrees WITHOUT locking out your knees?

If you can't do this it's likely that you are hurting your knees and your low back, and decreasing your exercising and sporting potential.

To get your own person evaluation on your hip movement and how to address those concerns, dial my office at 561.997.8898 or email me at drscotthoar@gmail.com. To check out more visit www.Mobility-4Life.com