Weekly Hip Stretch – Knee Stirring
This week it’s less of a stretch and more of a general opening or loosening of the joint capsule of the hip. It’s called knee stirring, and it’s great for getting the top of the thigh bone -- femur head -- nicely situated and sinking down into the hip socket.
Illuminate me…
This is important because it allows the femur head to move efficiently. If that’s not happening or the femur head is “stuck” with a restricted range of motion, the muscles are likely going to overwork to try to make up the difference. That’s a recipe for tightness, soreness or pain. It often affects the hip flexors, but can also show up in other places.
Try it…
The first thing we’re going to do is check in with the hip movement before we start. Lie on the ground with your feet on the floor, knees bent. Rock the pelvis to the left then the right, in a small range of motion without moving the legs back and forth. Place your fingertips on your hips points and see it you can gauge how much range of motion there. Notice if there are places in the movement that feel any restriction or are harder to move through. Just tip one side up and the other side down. It’s a very small motion.
Then do the knee stirring. Detailed instructions are in the video.
After the stirring, rock the pelvis back and forth again to see if there’s a bit more ease in the places that felt restriction. Ideally there’s more ease of movement and, thus, more efficient movement in the hip.
As always, go slowly and listen to your body.
Wishing you happy hips!