Hip Hip...Hinge!

Lift with your legs! I am sure we have all heard that advice at some point along the way. Unfortunately, for most people that is where it ends. Most people never question what exactly it means to “lift with your legs” and they never implement the practice of “lifting with your legs” on a daily basis.

When most people need to reach or bend forward they round their lower back. This movement immediately disengages the core and places unnecessary stress on the low back. Do this movement one too many times and you may find yourself in agony after a simple movement like picking up your shoes off the floor. The best movement is one that engages the core, so the low back is stable, and a movement that places the work in the hands of the big muscles. That move is called the hip hinge. The hip hinge is the single best movement you can do to prevent low back pain. It seems simple enough. Like the name implies, you hinge at your hips. But first, we need to clarify where your actual hip joint is located.

When most people place their hands on their hips, they actually place them on the top of the hip bone. However, the hip joint is actually a few inches lower. In the included picture, the red oval marks the top of the hip bone and the green oval marks the actual hip joint (where your thigh bone connects to your hip bone). This distinction is very important because hinging at the top of the hip bone is essentially rounding the low back, which is not what we want.

How do we perform the hip hinge? Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed forward or slightly outward. Gently exhale and shift your weight onto your heels, push your hips/butt back and hinge forward at the hip joint. Bend forward at the hip joint until your torso is midway between vertical and parallel to the floor. As you bend forward your low back should remain straight, not curved. Allow only slight bending at the knees throughout this movement. Contract your glutes. Push your hips forward and upward, slowly returning to upright. See the attached photo for the proper position.

My favorite part of teaching the hip hinge, or other similar advice, is when the patient has an “a-ha moment,” that moment when you can see the light bulb go on. I recently got to experience an “a-ha moment” with an older patient. After demonstrating the hip hinge for her she was hesitant that such a simple move would have an impact on her pain. After she tried the move for herself she immediately felt less pain in her low back. I saw the light go on. “You mean to tell me I have been moving wrong for all these years? No wonder my back hurt.”

Pay attention to the way you move and I promise you can implement the hip hinge dozens of times a day. Your back will thank you!

If you have any questions about any of the posts or you have a topic you would like to see covered, send an email to PalankChiropractic@gmail.com.