Hip exercises and stretches (beneficial for sciatica, ITB tightness, low back issues, chronic knee)

Great for the following:

1. Hip tightness and misalignment
2. Chronic low back tightness, pain, and misalignment
3. Iliotibial band pain and tightness
4. Chronic knee pain (esp. on the outside)
5. Chronic sciatica issues

I personally performed this routine as part of a larger routine everyday.  It is vital to keep the hips aligned, flexible, and moving in the appropriate manner.  The hips drive a lot of our functional movements, such as standing up, squatting down, walking, and running.  Good hip rotation provides the power in a golf swing, a baseball/softball swing, a tennis stroke, and throwing a football, baseball, softball.  Good hip flexibility and full gluteal activation powers the explosiveness in basketball and other jumping-related sports and routines. Without proper hip alignment and movement, you risk injury to the lumbar spine, knees, and obviously, the hips.

In my office, I test the relative strength of most the muscles related to the hips.  It is common to find weaknesses unilateral or bilateral in one or several of hip and pelvic muscles. The gluteus maximus and medius are the most common weakness that are found.  I can then perform a simple neurological stimulation that acts like an on switch to the weak muscle.  Specific exercises are prescribed to activate and retrain those muscles on a daily basis.  It is recommended that you do your prescribed exercises each and every day.  If the muscles are not adequately activated (used) then they will not work fully at the appropriate times.  This can lead to injuries during normal daily activities, exercise, and recreational activities.

I witness people at my gym with poor form and technique, even under the direction of trainers.  Seeing people actively involved in an exercise program to better their health gets my excitement juices flowing, but I do cringe when I see them with poor posture patterns along with poor exercise form.  It is recipe for disaster.

Call me, Dr. Shane Howell, at Alternative Health Management at 713-722-2580 for more in-depth one on one instruction along with gentle and precise chiropractic care.