Should you do hip flexor stretches?

Stretching. It’s simple. And it’s not so simple.

There’s no concrete data that shows up “stretching” improves pain or joint health. In fact, passive stretching has been shown to do the opposite - damage surrounding joint tissue and ligaments. This can come from an unrealistic and sometimes obsessive desire for flexibility. This mindset and style of teaching not only neglects science, but also how your body is different than the person next to you. You do not need to push yourself to these unhealthy standards to flexibility. Rather, you can focus on balance mobility with strength.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, below is a a delicious hip flexor stretch. And although I don’t believe stretching is the answer to all your “hip flexor” tension problems, most of us sit a large percentage of our day. This means the muscles in the front of your hips and thighs, as well as those connecting your legs and hips to your pelvis and spine (think: psoas, iliacus), get tight… and WEAK.

And I know stretching feels good and will definitely help alleviate the feeling of stiffness and tension. But you also need to do conditioning and strengthening for those muscles.

This could be as simple as practicing table top legs. And if you don’t want to lay on the ground, you can do a few squats.

Click below to get in your stretches. Then you can do your gentle conditioning work by clicking  HERE for squats  or  HERE for some table top practice .

Always listen to your body first. You are your own best teacher.

Until next time, keep moving.

xo

Nicole