FREAKY SNEAKY INJURIES PART 3: Hip
Haunting Hip Injuries
Maria Sollon, MS, CSCS, PES
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Hold onto your broomsticks and cauldrons because your hips don’t lie!
Welcome back to the grand finale of a Halloween-themed journey to protect your body. In Part 3, we enter the realm of haunting hip injuries. Hips are the very foundation of your body, and understanding the most common hip injuries, along with the importance of strength and mobility exercises, is crucial to maintain their strength and stability.
FREAKY SNEAKY INJURIES: SERIES OVERVIEW
The series is divided into three parts to discuss different areas of the body that are most susceptible to certain injures. It’s important to know what the most common injuries are, how they could sneak up on your muscles, and how to prevent them from occurring. We will also cover the importance of injury prevention by strengthening the smaller, intricate muscles of the joints that are most susceptible to injury.
Here’s the Freaky Sneaky Series line up:
Part 1: Shoulders (Unveiling the Secrets of Shoulder Injury Prevention)
Part 2: Back (Confronting the Terrors of Back Injuries)
Part 3: Hips (Haunting Hip Injuries)
This is Part 3 (grand finale) in the series. If you missed the previous parts, don’t be scared to check them out too! Now let’s discuss haunting injuries and exercise potions that could help your hips rest in peace (RIP)!
COMMON HIP INJURIES
It’s all in the hips… (if you’re a golfer, you will know this well). Three ghastly hip injuries that can haunt even the most active souls are:
1. Hip Flexor Strain: The hip flexor muscles are essential for movements like lifting your knee or bending at the waist. Overuse or sudden movements can strain these muscles, causing pain and difficulty moving.
2. Hip Labral Tear: The hip labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the hip socket. Tears in the labrum can occur due to repetitive motions or trauma, leading to pain, discomfort, and reduced range of motion.
3. Hip Impingement (Femoroacetabular Impingement, FAI): This spine-chilling condition happens when there’s abnormal contact between the hip joint’s ball and socket. It can result in pain, stiffness, and limited movement, making daily activities and sports a frightful endeavor.
4. Pulled or Torn Groin (Adductor) Injury: A pulled or torn groin, also known as an adductor strain, can be a frightening experience. This injury occurs when the adductor muscles on the inner thigh are stretched beyond their limits, causing tiny tears in the muscle fibers. The adductors are essential for movements like bringing your legs together, and they play a crucial role in maintaining hip stability. A pulled or torn groin can happen suddenly, often during activities that involve sudden changes in direction, high-impact movements, or overexertion. It manifests as sharp pain on the inner thigh, accompanied by swelling, bruising, and difficulty moving the leg. This injury can be particularly troublesome for athletes and active individuals.
HIP INJURY PREVENTION
Strength, mobility, and flexibility exercises play a vital role in preventing injury and maintaining hip health. These “maintenance” exercises are your best weapons against hip injuries.
Performing strength exercises in different ranges of motion is crucial for maintaining hip strength and building resilience in your hip muscles. This prepares your hips for the variety of movements they encounter in daily life, sports, and other activities. Whether you’re reaching, squatting, or running, strong hip muscles provide stability and power, reducing the risk of injury.
Mobility exercises enhance your hip’s range of motion and flexibility. These exercises keep your hip joint moving freely, ensuring that it can withstand the demands of various activities without straining or becoming stiff.
HIP EXERCISES
Whether you’re guarding against these dreaded hip injuries or a different one, the combination of strength, mobility, and total body exercises on the Total Gym is your ultimate arsenal to keep your hips robust and injury-free.
Directions: Learn and practice the following exercises slowly with control and proper form. The focus should be emphasized on developing the smaller muscles around the joints. Take your time and utilize your inner strength.
Reps + Sets: aim for 10 reps, sets depends on workout timing
Frequency: 3-4 days / week along with your other routines
Tempo: slow and controlled speed
1. Strength: Bridge Variations (bridge articulations, neutral, diamond, internal)
• Bridge Articulations: Lie supine on the glide board with feet positioned at the top of the squat stand. Slightly open the glide board and roll the spine up into a bridge position. Practice articulating the spine up and down from the GB.
• Neutral: Assume a bridge position with parallel feet and knees. Open and close the glide board maintaining a neutral pelvis and core control.
• Diamond: Perform the same exercises as above with the feet and knees in a diamond shape (heals together and toes turned outward) to target a different angle of the hips.
• Internal: Same exercises as above with the feet and knees rotated internally.
2. Mobility: Side Lying Rotations (internal/ external)
• Assume a side lying position on the glide board with the top leg positioned on the squat stand. Perform a single leg squat by alternating internal (turned in) and external (turned out) feet/ knee positions. Perform on both sides.
3. Flexibility: Runners Lunge Combo
• Assume a kneeling lunge position facing away from the vertical column. The foot on the floor is close to the bottom base and hands are placed on the squat stand for balance. Slowly open the glide board to stretch the hip flexor of the kneeling leg. Option to extend the leg into a full lunge. Explore the range of motion in different angles. Perform on both sides.
Check out the video demonstration to see how these Freaky Sneaky exercises are performed on your Total Gym.
As our Freaky Sneaky Injuries Series comes to an end, remember the importance of taking care of your shoulders, back, and hips. By incorporating strength and mobility exercises into your routine and leveraging the Total Gym, you can keep your body robust, stable, and ready for action, while protecting yourself from the terrors of injuries!
Stay Spooky Strong! ?
Maria