I had post run hip pain, and these stretches fixed it!

supah_ · February 2013

I thought I would pass this along, because it worked like magic.

Original article here - http://voices.yahoo.com/relieve-hip-pain-running-10-minute-exercise-8434189.html?cat=50

Relieve Hip Pain from Running with 10 Minute Exercise Routine

Very simple exercises can cure hip pain from running. This depends on why running has caused your hip pain in the first place. Hip pain from running can develop from different mechanisms. I'm a certified personal trainer, and I cured my hip pain, that was caused by running, with a 10-minute exercise program.
I'm not saying these exercises will cure the hip pain in every runner. However, these gentle exercises certainly won't harm you in any way, either. It will help if I tell you where my hip pain was located.

If you look at muscle anatomy you will see that a muscle called the tensor fasciae latae connects to the pelvis bone. A muscle called the iliacus also connects to the pelvic bone. Where these connections are, is where my pain was.

The pain was not relieved with decreased running frequency, slower running, or taking time off from running.

But it most certainly did respond to the following exercises, and work both sides, even though only one hip has pain:

Hip extension on all fours. On all fours, extend one leg back behind you, lifting it high so that foot goes well above butt height, but keep the leg fairly straight (not perfectly straight, but almost straight).

Hold it there for a solid second, then bring back to past original position so that knee is ahead of the support knee, then extend the leg back behind you again. Do 8 repetitions each side. Then repeat again at any time during the session.

Hip abduction on all fours. Picture a male dog lifting a leg to relieve itself. Lift your thigh out to the side so that the thigh is parallel with floor, leg bent at knee at 90 degrees. Your thigh should be perpendicular to your trunk. Hold for one second, then return to start. Do 8 reps each side.

Lie on back, legs straight. Pull one knee towards chest so that you feel a stretch in the opposite hip area, where the leg merges into the pelvis. Hold 30 seconds. Switch legs. Do two sets each leg.

Standing external hip rotation. Place hands on something for balance and stand straight. Lift one knee in front of yourself like a high march. Then bring knee out to the side, so that thigh is perpendicular to trunk.

Leg is bent at 90 degrees the entire time. Bring back to original high march position. Do not set foot down; keep rotating knee outward, then back inward. Do 8 sets each side -- twice.

Standing hip rotation. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, hands on hips. Rotate hips five times in one direction, then in the other direction. The motion is similar to that of doing the hula hoop, except it is much slower, to get a good stretch all the way around.

Standing hip extension. Place hands on something for support. Stand straight. Lift one knee up and extend leg out behind you. It's okay to lean forward to allow this motion. This exercise is similar to "hip extension on all fours." Do 8 reps each leg.

It will take 8-10 minutes to complete these exercises. Do them once or twice a day (I did mine once a day).

I began doing these exercises for a few days before I decided to resume running, and noticed that the hip pain afterwards wasn't as bad as it had been. I wondered if I had finally come upon a solution to my hip pain.

After every running session, I performed these exercises. And sure enough, there were immediate results in the ensuing days. On non-running days, you still must do these exercises. Don't do them before running; do them after running. I regained my running speed free of pain.

This problem may have been caused by stiff soft tissue in the hip; fast running speeds brought on my hip pain, and eventually even slow speeds would bring it on. The exercises loosened everything up and improved blood circulation. I never iced my hip, by the way.

Published by Jillita Horton

Mlkmaid · February 2013

Thank you for this! I have anterior hip pain on my right side that feels fine when running but hurts at rest pretty much all the time now. I'm going to give these a whirl.