It’s a bizarre little piece of advice:
Happy Hips = a Happy Back
Turns out, having more mobility in your hips, helps your back out!
➡️➡️ Want to garden with ease?
Yes, I hear you…you want to spend more time outside than be part of the statistic of the 1 in 4 people who sit at their desk for 8 hours straight a day!
➡️➡️ Want to run/walk about all Summer without having to consider your back?
Being concerned by your back can really stop you taking the leap into experiences that could be fun!
I read research articles for fun. Yup, that’s me. I LOVE to apply that research when I choreograph pilates series that get people out of pain. It fills me with joy when clients like Mrs B had found her hip range was limited on one side and chose some key moves from our videos + classes.. Within ONE MONTH she hit the target range (I really wish we had taken pics!)
At that moment, it clicked.
We all need those go-to moves, without spending forever on Dr. Google!
Recent research shows that people with generalized lower back pain and reduced hip mobility, stretches and exercises targeting the hips can improve pain and function in their back (1)
I want you to get relief at the click of a button, wherever you are in the World.
“My strong core and back has strengthened my ability to balance and aided my co-ordination. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been” ~ this is a message from my client Jenny (who has just celebrated a big birthday ~ many happy returns to you)
So what’s the key to a happy lower back?
This is my 4 step process for a complete circle of wellbeing
- Assess your range of movement in the joints around the area of pain. Notice which muscles feel tight or sleepy! This can be done together in a 1:1, or listen to my cues in class or the online studio as I guide you through.
- Get mobility in. There are so many benefits to flexibility training including reducing injury. Let the tight muscles soften + down-regulate. This gives us a window of opportunity to let other muscles get the chance to do some work.
- Now you have the freedom to work the deep core stabilisers, like the pelvic floor, deep transverse abdominals and also our powerhouse…the glutes!
- Maximise alignment and long-term strength to prevent any future injury.
The great news is, you can do your mobility from home or your office…even on a crazy work day, sprinkling in the moves that work for you, as often as you can, truly make a difference. See this 6 week study of targeted home-based exercises which helped individuals with chronic low back pain and reduced hip range (2)
Make sure you follow one of my videos in the online library if you need more help.
For a good place to start, try this key exercise for your hips as it assesses internal and external rotation as well as easing the muscles around the joints.
This is known as a 90/90 stretch…or in the Pilates World we call it a Mermaid 🥰:
- Sit equally on your sit bones as you take your front knee to a 90 degree bend in front of you – this is external rotation for your hip.
- And your back knee to as close a 90 degree bend as you can, still keeping your sit bones down. This is internal rotation int he back hip.
- Make sure you keep a tall spine – if you slouch off to one side, sit on as many blocks/books as you need until you are sat on both sides of your bottom.
- Make sure both sit-bones stay in contact with the surface underneath – if one is hitching up, sit on more blocks/books.
- If you feel your knees, sit on more blocks, or ask me about modifications!
- Once you feel comfortable, start removing the blocks.
- Breathe deep, and allow yourself to melt the hips open. This shouldn’t be at an intensity level of more than a 6 out of ten. Aim to ease into it for 60 seconds each side.
- Try this both sides. Is one side different to the other?
- Notice how your lower back feels afterwards.
Let me know, was this useful? If you would like more blog posts like this, let me know
Take care, Jana xx
Research for this article:
(1) https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-back-and-musculoskeletal-rehabilitation/bmr589
(2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25736957/
