How to loosen your back by fixing your hips

By Dr. Max Lippman, D.C., Director of Plaza Chiropractic and Massage Therapy

Lowback pain is the main condition I see in my office, often caused by sitting too much, leading to deconditioned back and hip muscles.

Many of my patients ask what the best low back stretches are to reduce pain, loosen their tight muscles, and feel stronger day to day.

My answer is to “Stop Focusing On Your Low Back - Start Focusing On Your Hips”.

The hip joints have 6 ranges of motion, and I’ve provided ways to address each range of motion to stretch and strengthen. Try these exercises for a week, and watch your low back tightness melt away!

1. Hip Flexion - We sit for too long, too often, and our hip flexors get INHIBITED and SQUISHED (so they feel tight). Focus on lengthening these (lunges, kicking backwards, lowering legs while laying on your back).

2. Hip adduction - This is your groin muscle, which is always tight. Stretching with side lunges & sitting on a bench and bending forward will help.

3. External rotation - We spend very little time rotating our hips, and these get stuck. Try pigeon pose and figure 4 stretches to loosen up. You can also activate these by using external rotation with a thera-band.

4. Hip abduction - Everyone wants to foam roll their IT bands… DON’T. Just because it hurts, doesn’t mean it’s effective. Instead, focus on foam rolling the glute and side of the hip, but don’t go all the way down the leg.

5. Internal rotation - Butterfly stretches will stretch out the internal rotators, while using a theraband and lifting your leg with your toe pointing in will help activate and strengthen these.

6. Hip extension - Training the glutes through squats is huge, our butts just are simply not strong enough. Start with body weight, and move up. Foam rolling or trigger point ball are great to release the upper glutes.

Try these hips actions, and let me know how your back and hamstrings feel! I bet it’ll be a game changer.