Exercise to Help with Pain Caused by Sitting at Your Desk All Day

If your job requires sitting, you’re at risk for hip pain caused by tight hip flexors. Spending a lot of time sitting, whether it’s at a desk, in a car or even on the couch, it puts your hip flexors in a compressed position, causing them to shorten and tighten up.

Adversely, if you’re an avid runner or cyclist, you’re also at risk. Since the aforementioned athletes repeatedly use the hip flexors to lift their legs, which shortens the hip flexor muscles. 

Both sitting and repetitive leg actions can shorten and tighten the hip flexors. Combine these activities with weak core and thigh muscles, and you have a recipe for pain and stiffness.  If certain muscles are weak, including the core, glutes, or piriformis (a deep gluteal muscle that helps external rotation of the hip), it forces the hip flexors to take over some of the job of stabilizing the spine and pelvis, leading the already overworked hip flexors to stiffen.

What are hip flexors? Your hip flexors are a group of muscles along the front of your upper thigh which work together to flex and stabilize your hip and pull your thigh and torso together when you walk, run, sit or stand. The hip flexors are the muscles in the front of your thigh connecting your leg to your pelvis and your spine. These powerful muscles allow you to bend and flex at the hip. They are engaged when you pull your knee to your chest, sit down, or lift your leg. Walking, pedaling a bike, running, and a variety of other feats use these heavy-duty muscles.

What are the symptoms of tight hip flexors? The most common symptoms of tight hip flexors are hip pain and limited mobility. Tight hip flexors can also cause:

• Pain when lying down
• Limited movement
• Inability to extend your leg behind you
• Pain when sitting or rising from a seated position
• A pinching or snapping sensation in the hip during movement
• Hip pain when you walk

Many times, symptoms appear as the body tries to compensate for the stiffened hip muscles.

Short/tight hip flexor muscles can contribute to low back pain; therefore, it’s essential to stretch these muscles to maintain healthy posture regularly.


 
THE KNEELING HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

1. Kneel on a mat with both knees, then place one foot forward so that you have a 90-degree angle at the hip and knee. Place your hands on the front knee for support (if needed). This is the start position of the kneeling hip flexor stretch.
2. Keeping the torso upright, slowly lean forward until you feel a comfortable stretch through the groin and top of the thigh (rear leg).
3. Move slowly back and forth 5-10 times, or maintain a hold for 30 seconds.

STRAIGHT LEG RAISE
This targets both the hip flexors and core muscles. It's also one of the most gentle hip flexor exercises. 

1. Lie on the floor with arms by your side and your legs straight.
2. Bend your knee at a 90 degree angle (90 degrees looks like an L). Your knee should be up while your foot, of the same leg, is planed on the floor. 
3. The alternate leg should be straight with your toes pointed. Tighten your quad muscle, inhale, and lift the left leg to about a 45-degree angle. Keep this leg straight throughout the exercise. 
4. Hold for three to five seconds. 
5. Exhale and slowly lower the left leg to the starting position. 
6. Repeat 10 times before switching legs. 

If you are experiencing aches and pain, Vitality Health Center has your back. Dr. John T. Toth has over 2 decades of experience and was voted Best Chiropractor by Minnesota Monthly. 

Visit us at Vitality Health Center's website https://www.vitalityhealthcentermn.com/ for more information or call 651-773-9414 to schedule an appointment.