How To Fix Hip Impingement ASAP!
Dec 30, 2024
Hip impingement is a common dysfunction that can cause pain in the front or side of the hip. Many people who suffer from this complain of a pinching sensation in their hips, most noticeable when they're squatting, sitting, walking, or doing a lateral lunge movement.
There are typically two types of hip impingement and both can lead to compensations within the system that decrease performance and resilience.
The first type of impingement occurs when there is excessive tension on the back side of the pelvis, which pulls the sacrum and the sit bone closer together. This restricts mobility or space where the femur can move, causing the pelvis to dump forward when the hip is flexed toward 90 degrees, as well as the pinching sensation.
This is most commonly a restriction in hip flexion and internal rotation, and the best way to resolve this is by reducing tension on the back of the hip and promoting hip IR. The video below shows two effective exercises to achieve this.
The second type of hip impingement is felt on the outside of the hip, typically when the hip is abducting or moving away from the body. There is usually a limitation in hip abduction and extension here, whereby the pelvis is turned away from the pinching hip, as well as tipped forward in an anterior pelvic tilt.
For this type of presentation we must also relieve tension on the back of the hip, but also turn the pelvis back toward the other side at the same time. I share two valuable exercises to do this as well in the video below.
Identify what kind of hip impingement you're dealing with first, then use the appropriate drills and exercises to restore range of motion for better movement and less pain.
You can improve hip impingement, as well as lower body mobility with my Lower Body Mobility Program found here.