Experience relief from persistent hip pain during runs by incorporating six recommended exercises, certified by a physical therapist.
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Physical therapist Laura Wilson, co-founder of The Swiss Touch Physiotherapy, has recommended six exercises to help runners improve their glute strength and hip control, addressing common issues such as limited hip mobility and insufficient glute activation. These exercises aim to restore proper running mechanics, reduce compensations through the lower back, knees, or ankles, and improve stride length and efficiency [1].
The six exercises and their benefits, along with steps, are as follows:
- Side-lying hip abduction
- Benefit: Strengthens the gluteus medius, a crucial muscle for hip stability and control during running.
- Steps: Lie on your side with legs straight. Lift the top leg directly away from the bottom leg without rotating the hips. Lower slowly and repeat [1].
- Bridge with resisted hip abduction
- Benefit: Activates both the glute maximus and medius, improving hip extension and lateral control.
- Steps: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place a resistance band around your knees. Lift your hips into a bridge while pushing your knees outward against the band. Hold briefly, then lower hips and repeat [1].
- Reverse clamshells with elevation
- Benefit: Targets the deep hip external rotators and glute muscles, enhancing hip control.
- Steps: Lie on your side with knees slightly bent and feet elevated on a surface (e.g., foam roller). Lift the top leg upward, opening the hip like a clam shell in reverse. Lower slowly and repeat [1].
- Side-lying hip flexion and extension
- Benefit: Improves hip flexors and extensors strength critical for running stride phases.
- Steps: Lie on your side. For hip flexion, lift the top leg forward and slightly upward. For hip extension, lift it backward. Perform controlled lifts and lowers [1].
- Tabletop alternate leg lowering
- Benefit: Builds core stability and hip control dynamically, integrating pelvic stability with leg movement.
- Steps: Start on your back with hips and knees bent to 90 degrees (tabletop position). Slowly lower one leg straight toward the floor while keeping the pelvis stable. Return and alternate legs [1].
- Single-leg bridge
- Benefit: Strengthens glutes and hamstrings unilaterally, promoting balanced hip strength.
- Steps: Lie on your back with one foot flat and the other leg extended. Lift hips by driving through the planted foot, keeping the other leg extended. Hold, lower, and repeat. Switch sides [1].
Last year, a runner faced severe hip pain that led to stopping running. After seeking advice from Laura Wilson, they began practicing these exercises regularly for 12 weeks [1]. The side-lying hip flexion and extension move targets the deep internal rotators of the hip, and training them can improve mobility (Laura Wilson). The author found it challenging initially to keep from rolling back when doing the tabletop alternate leg lowering and felt hip pain, but it gradually became easier over four weeks [2].
After two weeks, the author could do the full three sets of the single-leg bridge and found they were using their core to help their lower back from arching [3]. Reduced hip mobility can disrupt running mechanics and lead to compensation through the lower back, knees, or ankles, according to Laura Wilson [4]. After doing six exercises and some cat-cow poses for 12 weeks, the author was able to return to running with pain-free hips [5].
The third exercise, reverse clamshells with elevation, strengthens the gluteus medius and minimus and improves hip control [1]. The second exercise, bridge with resisted hip abduction, helps in practicing hip extension while maintaining lateral stability across the pelvis and strengthens the gluteus maximus [1]. Side-lying hip flexion and extension helps strengthen the hip flexors and extensors, improving running stride length and reducing compensations through the lower back [6]. Tabletop alternate leg lowering improves core and pelvic stability, working the hips through controlled flexion and extension, helping maintain mobility and control [7]. Single-leg bridge builds unilateral strength in the hamstrings and glutes and improves the ability to extend hips, also helping to build pelvic control under load and mimics the single-leg stance phase of running [8].
In conclusion, practicing these exercises regularly over 12 weeks, as recommended by Wilson, can restore pain-free running by improving glute engagement and hip mobility, thus preventing compensatory movements and reducing hip pain [1].
[1] Wilson, L. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theswisstouchphysiotherapy.com/blog/6-exercises-to-improve-hip-mobility-and-reduce-hip-pain [2] Personal communication, Author, 2022. [3] Personal communication, Author, 2022. [4] Wilson, L. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theswisstouchphysiotherapy.com/blog/6-exercises-to-improve-hip-mobility-and-reduce-hip-pain [5] Personal communication, Author, 2022. [6] Wilson, L. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theswisstouchphysiotherapy.com/blog/6-exercises-to-improve-hip-mobility-and-reduce-hip-pain [7] Wilson, L. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theswisstouchphysiotherapy.com/blog/6-exercises-to-improve-hip-mobility-and-reduce-hip-pain [8] Wilson, L. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theswisstouchphysiotherapy.com/blog/6-exercises-to-improve-hip-mobility-and-reduce-hip-pain
Engaging in a health-and-wellness routine that includes these exercises can benefit runners, as they aim to improve glute strength and hip control. For instance, the side-lying hip abduction exercise strengthens the gluteus medius, a crucial muscle for running. Additionally, practicing yoga, with its focus on flexibility and balance, can complement these exercises by further enhancing the runner's hip mobility and overall fitness-and-exercise performance.
