The joint that connects our pelvis to our thigh is our hips and weak hips are often the cause of hip injuries. This is due to the extreme flexibility and range of motion our hips offer but there is a trade-off between flexibility and stability. Generally, our hips are stable but daily activities can cause injuries to them. Studies have proved that poor hip stabilisation causes injuries as the hip is heavily required to support the combined motion of our legs and knees. You can perform simple daily activities to reduce the risk of hip injuries. Let’s discuss a few of them in detail.
Hip Hiker
There are many hip exercises that can help you strengthen your hips. One of the easiest and most effective ones is the hip hiker. Place the instep of your right foot at the edge of a small stool, elevate your left foot. Avoid bending your knees and relax your right leg muscles and drop your left leg slowly onto the ground. Contract your right leg muscles immediately and raise your left leg again. Repeat this exercise for both legs for 3 sets of 15s.
Bridging
Bridging is another simple exercise that can be performed anywhere. Lie on your back on a flat surface and slowly lift up your buttocks, keeping your knee, shoulders and hips in a straight line. Contract your muscles as you perform this and hold in the raised position for 5 seconds. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for 3 sets of 15s.
Hip extension
Lie down flat on your stomach and keep your legs straight in a position that is not touching the floor. Slowly contract your gluteals muscles and hold in the position for 5 seconds. Repeat for 3 sets of 15s.
Resistance band extension
This is a slightly more challenging version of the hip extension exercise above and it requires the usage of a resistance band. You will need a chair to hold onto and maintain your balance. Place the resistance band on an object that is heavy such as your bed. Slowly lift your leg towards the back of your thighs and contract your glut muscles. You will be able to feel intense tightening of your glut muscles.
Most exercises can be performed in the comfort of your own home without the need for expensive equipments. They say that a little goes a long way and you can be assured that these simple exercises which you perform can indeed help you strengthen your hips and reduce your risk of injuries.
