Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › General › Tight Hip Flexors

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    • 11/06/2014 at 6:05 pm #71179
      AvatarSteve Yahns
      Participant

      Hey all, 

      I’ve got typical short, tight hip flexors from spending 80% of the first 20 years of my life seated. I’ve made an improvised standing desk that I use at university to type and get work done as much as I can. I sit when I’m in class, which is a couple hours a day, and when driving if I go home (it’s about a three hour trip, usually do it about 3 to 4 times a semester). 
      I’m being diligent about doing mobility work daily since I’m working on dealing with a case of lateral knee pain. I do banded anterior contract/relax hip capsule work (my test/retest with it always shows an improvement), the banded lunge/hip impingement mobs, soft tissue work and of course couch stretch. 
      I think it’s my hip flexors that pitch my chest forward when I’m doing air squats, and that they’re causing my lower back to be stiffer than usual. My question is: how long could it take before I see improvements in my stiff hip flexors? 
    • 11/06/2014 at 6:40 pm #75449
      AvatarCynthia Terrell
      Participant

      If they are stiff you may check out some of the psoas smashing videos. But if you cheat is coming forward when you air squat you may also take a look at how much ankle range of motion you have. If the ankles are short you gotta get your torso more forward so you don’t fall over.

    • 11/06/2014 at 6:40 pm #75450
      AvatarCynthia Terrell
      Participant

      *chest not cheat

    • 11/06/2014 at 6:58 pm #75456
      AvatarSteve Yahns
      Participant

      Chad – Roop has me avoiding my knees tracking over my ankles currently as I’m working on re-building the motor pattern of squatting with the correct cues (feet screwed into the ground, glutes and core tight). I’m working through lateral knee pain currently and he wants to avoid stressing the patellar tendon region. 

      I will look into psoas smashing though! Thank you.
    • 11/13/2014 at 10:34 am #75469
      AvatarMichael Harker
      Participant

      I concur with Chad; smash that psoas! I’d top that off with the couch stretch. It’s probably the most horrible thing you can do to yourself, but I’ve seen it help a lot of people. Lack of dorsiflextion will also definitely hold back your squat, so get after that. Assuming you don’t have an actual ankle injury, you might consider giving those ankles some voodoo flossing.

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