{"id":656457,"date":"2026-10-25T08:04:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T08:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/656457\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T08:04:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T08:04:34","slug":"the-three-stretches-a-physical-therapist-wishes-everyone-would-do-to-improve-their-hip-mobility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/656457\/","title":{"rendered":"The three stretches a physical therapist wishes everyone would do to improve their hip mobility"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spear Physical Therapy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To fix that, she suggests moving around regularly and doing targeted stretches, like the three below.<\/p>\n

Latest Videos FromFit&Well<\/p>\n

\u201cA good starting point is doing one to three repetitions of each stretch, holding for about 20-30 seconds per side, two to four times per week,\u201d she says. \u201cIf someone enjoys stretching and it feels good for their body, they can certainly incorporate these into a daily routine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mobility is different for everyone and Lao says you should bear that in mind when working on your flexibility.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

\u201cI think of mobility as having enough comfortable range of motion to move through your day without feeling restricted,\u201d she explains. \u201cI also tell people that stretching shouldn’t be a competition with themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

In each stretch, you should feel a gentle-to-moderate pulling sensation, but you shouldn’t be forcing your way into a position or feeling pain.<\/p>\n

Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you find yourself holding your breath, tensing your entire body, or fighting to get farther into the stretch, that’s usually a sign to back off a little,\u201d Lao advises.<\/p>\n

For the best results, the physical therapist recommends teaming this mobility routine with some targeted hip-strengthening exercises, like resistance band marches<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to do the stretches.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

1. Figure four<\/p>\n

Supine Figure 4 Stretch – YouTube
\n\"Supine<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Sets: 1-3 Hold: 20-30sec each side<\/p>\n

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.Cross your left leg over your right, with your left ankle resting above your right knee.Lift your right foot off the floor.Grasp your right thigh with your hands.Gently pull your right knee towards your chest until you feel a stretch in the left hip.Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.Switch sides and repeat.<\/p>\n

Therapist tips: \u201cI like to keep the crossed foot flexed and encourage people to relax their shoulders and pelvis rather than trying to force themselves deeper into the stretch,\u201d Lao recommends.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should feel this mostly through the glute and outer hip. If you’re feeling it in the knee or getting a pinching sensation in the hip, that\u2019s a sign to back off and adjust your position.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you struggle to get down to the floor for this move, try performing it on your bed.<\/p>\n

2. Kneeling hip flexor stretch<\/p>\n

Half Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch – YouTube
\n\"Half<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Sets: 1-3 Hold: 20-30sec each side<\/p>\n

Kneel on the floor.Place your right foot on the floor in front of you, with your knee bent to 90\u00b0.Tilt the front of your pelvis up slightly.Move your torso forward until you feel a stretch in the front of your left hip.Squeeze your left glute to deepen the stretch.Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.Switch sides and repeat.<\/p>\n

Therapist tips: \u201cOne of the most common things I see [with this move] is people arching their low back and pushing their hips forward to get a bigger stretch,\u201d says Dr Lao.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might feel like you\u2019re getting more range, but you\u2019re often just borrowing the movement from your low back. The movement should come from the hip.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you prefer a standing stretch, you can do this lunge version instead. <\/a><\/p>\n

3. Supine hip twist<\/p>\n

Core Exercise: Supine Twist – YouTube
\n\"Core<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Sets: 1-3 Time: 20-30sec<\/p>\n

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.Slowly lower your knees to the left.Pause for a few seconds.Lift your knees back to the starting position.Gently lower your knees to the right.Pause for a few seconds.Lift your knees back to the starting position.Continue slowly alternating between your two sides for 20 to 30 seconds.<\/p>\n

Therapist tips: \u201cThink of this as gently exploring rotation rather than trying to get your knees all the way to the floor,\u201d Dr Lao suggests.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to encourage people to move slowly and breathe through it. Let the hips rotate while keeping your upper body relaxed. Your shoulder may lift a little depending on your individual range, and that\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is another one you can perform on your bed if you struggle to get down to the floor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter If you spend…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":656458,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[589,163,85,46],"class_list":["post-656457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/656458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=656457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}