Unlock Your Hip Flexors
Do you have lower back pain? Do you need to unlock your hip flexors? The answer the this question for many american who are now working from home is Yes.
Over the past 20 years I have evaluated and treated 100’s of patients with lower back pain and the one common issue I have seen with the majority of these patients is the need to unlock their hip flexors. The hip flexors or “Psoas Muscles” are the primary muscles that get tight and rigid from long periods of sitting. And during the last 5 months since Covid-19, most employees have been forced to work from home which has made this issue even worse.
New studies have showed that when people are working from home they are getting up much less often throughout the day. Many people go from the bedroom to sitting at their make shift work station for 8-10 hours and then to the couch to watch TV until bed time. They do this day after day and there is no wonder that their hip flexor muscle end up getting tight leading to severe lower back pain.
How to Unlock Your Hip Flexors
1 – Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic Care can address in joint restrictions that may be present in the pelvis and lumbar spine which often times cause compensatory muscle tightness to protect the area misaligned/restricted area. Chiropractic Care is often very affective in rapidly reducing pain to the area while the underling cause is addressed for long term results.
2 – Massage
Massage Therapy can help with any chronic muscle adhesions, edema, or trigger points in the hip flexor group most often the Psoas Muscle. This occurs as a result of the hip flexor muscles being chronically shortened from long periods of sitting. Massage comes in many form but for the psoas my favorite is self massage because it really needs to be done daily for a few weeks to be effective. There is a device you can buy called the PSO-RIT, most anyone can use this tool to perform self massage at home and will can significant results in a few weeks.
3 – Stretching
There are many different types of stretches that target the hip flexors but my favorite are ones that incorporate an active stretch like the yoga pose “High Lunge” or “Crescent Lunge”. The “low lunge” is also a create stretch to do as well but it can put some increased pressure on the lower back if you have a acutely inflamed lower back.
4 – Strengthening
Safe and controlled strengthening is the key to preventing more pain and dysfunction when doing hip flexor exercise. I tend to advise patients not to do ballistic jumping like box jumps and also not to perform any leg lifts or planks if they are having any lower back pain. These exercises can be worked back into a strengthening program after the sitting issue and muscles have lengthened over a few weeks of the basics. I would recommend watching this video done by Athlean-X and try to determine whether you have a hip flexor weakness issue or a tightness issue. Once you figure this out you can put your primary focus on doing that exercise to address you main issue. If you need help with this self assesment we can help you in the office at any time.
5 – Proper Sleep
Over the years I have recommended that patients with any lower back pain try to sleep on their back and put a pillow under their knees to decompress the lower back. This is very effective in lengthening the lower back muscles and reducing compression on the lower lumbar discs. This helps hydrate the discs at night and reduce lower back pain in the morning. In the case of anyone who is suffering hip flexor tightness or is forced to sit to sit for many hours I recommend to sleep on your back with no pillow to allow the hip flexors or psoas muscle to lengthen at night.
Sitting all day with short hip flexors and then keeping them short at night may not be the best idea. Also be careful if you are sleeping on your side not to touch your knees into the fetal position all night as this will have the same effect. Bottom line is that there is not a one size fits all solution, play around with different sleeping positions and go with the one that feels best for your body and condition.
This is a list of my 5 favorite ways four you to unlock your hip flexors. For more techniques and a complete chiropractic evaluation schedule a visit with myself or Dr. Hood. Dr. Hood and I have over 20 years each with evaluating and treating patients with hip flexor and lower back issues.
Dr. David T. Reed, Chiropractor
Reed Chiropractic, 250 W. Baseline Rd. #107, Tempe AZ 85283 Tel: 480-785-1355
