Sitting too much has been linked to several diseases and health concerns, which can harm your health. Sitting too much causes one of the most common complaints – hip pain. If you spend most of the time just sitting at work or home, you may feel this at the end of the day. Without your knowledge, it’s slowly impacting your overall health. Let’s tackle some Stretches To Relieve the Hip Pain below.
Why Are My Hips Painful After Sitting?
Often, pain in your hips after sitting results from your hips and legs being in the same position for a long period. This is because when you are sitting with your knees bent, your hamstrings are in a shortened position. The maximum shortened length affects your hip flexors.
When a person repeats this pattern of muscular activity for days, weeks, months, and years, their hip muscles become accustomed to this position over time. Therefore, the hip muscles will become tight as tension builds up.
Because of this, the hip flexors may have difficulty lengthening. The hamstrings will also have difficulty activating when standing after sitting for a long time. With this, an imbalance in the hip joint because of these muscles contributes to the hip pain you experience. Hip pain can be felt in the front, depending on the muscles involved. It can also be felt on the back, groin, outside of the hip, or a mixture of these areas.
What Can I Do To Relieve And Prevent Hip Pain When Sitting?
Treatment for this includes stretching and strengthening exercises to release the tension in the tight hip muscles, thereby relieving the pain.
Here are four easy stretches to relieve hip pain:
1. Supine Knee-To-Chest
Lie on your back on the floor or bed with your legs extended and arms on your sides. Now raise your right knee and hold your shin with both hands while you pull it more towards your chest to stretch it. Hold this position for 30 seconds before releasing it and returning it to the starting position. Complete 3 repetitions, 1-2 sets, Repeat on the opposite leg.
2. Reclining Angle Bound Pose
Lie on your back on the floor or bed with your legs extended and arms on your sides. Put the soles of your feet together, then slowly open your knees on the side until you feel a gentle stretch on your groin. Hold this position for 30 seconds before releasing it and returning it to the starting position. Complete 3 repetitions, 1-2 sets.
3. Kneeling Side Bend Stretch
For this Stretches To Relieve Hip Pain, kneel on the floor with your knees slightly away from each other. Make sure your back is properly aligned and your core is engaged. Extend your right leg on the side perpendicular to your body with your toes pointing to the floor. Then extend your left arm over your head while slowly bending your torso to the right side until you feel a gentle stretch on your hip. Hold this position for 30 seconds before releasing it and returning it to the starting position. Complete 3 repetitions, 1-2 sets. Repeat on the opposite side.
4. Lunging Hip Flexor Stretch
Do a forward lunge position by bending your right knee at a 90-degree angle and your left leg straight behind you. Now drive your hips forward until you feel a gentle stretch from the front of your hip, groin, and thigh on your left side. Hold this position for 30 seconds before releasing it and returning it to the starting position. Complete 3 repetitions, 1-2 sets. Repeat on the opposite side.
Outlook
Hip pain caused by sitting too much can often be treated with non-conservative treatment, and an additional course of treatment may be necessary if another medical condition accompanies it. However, in addition to this treatment, you can also benefit in the long run by creating a routine that you can follow to retrain the muscles around your hips. Your doctor or physical therapist can help you with this.
With just a few minutes each day, you can reverse the damage without reducing the amount of sitting you do! Check out our 10 Gentle Yoga Poses to Undo the Damage of Sitting All Day now!
