Your body is a marvelous movement apparatus. What a shame so many of us sit in a chair all day. But many of us have no choice, and we suffer the consequences. The video featured at the top of this post shares the negative effects of sitting with special focus on hip flexors and SI joints.
One of the most common complaints we hear from our patients who sit for long periods is shortening and lack of relative motion between the psoas and iliacus—two of your hip flexors. These are important for back health, as short and tight hip flexors contribute to poor spinal movement and pain, as well as altered gait mechanics. It can also cause entrapment of your femoral nerve, which can cause pain in the quads, knees, and groin.
To address these complaints, we recommend the following two exercises. The first is a bit easier to find the tight corners and work them out, but it has a small potential to irritate the low back if not done properly. The second version is recommended for anyone suffering from a sore lower back.
Active Psoas Stretch
Active Psoas Stretch – Version 2
Active Psoas Stretch – Quick Review
For the back of the hips, we’re mainly concerned with a shortening and weakening of the SI ligaments, and specifically the lower SI joints. These joints need motion and body weight through them in order to maintain optimal health. Many people, however, never get their hips lower than their knees, causing altered capacity in these joints. Full end-range loading in a comfortable and progressive way will help to restore motion and tissue integrity to these areas. We recommend the following exercise:
Assisted Deep Squat
Assisted Deep Squat – Quick Review
Our body was made to move, and it functions best when put through a range of movements that keep your joints healthy. The Active Psoas Stretch and Assisted Deep Squat exercise are geared to help restore movement capacity. We recommend incorporating them 2x/day each for a week, and see if they help.
If you’re curious about the underlying anatomy, these videos may be of interest:
For the rest of your spine, we suggest trying the Spine Medicine Ball and the Twister, both directed at restoring movement and balance to your (stiff from sitting) spine.