Hip Mobility and Lower Back Pain

Writing as a newly qualified, (and therefore definitely not an expert), in sports and remedial massage, I'm intrigued by the relationship between hip mobility and lower back pain. Possibly because I've become more aware of the connection because of the course I've done and my own experience of recurring lumber stiffness and occasional low intensity pain.

Anyway, being up rather early today, I was thinking about nothing in particular when the phrase "hip mobility and low back pain" wandered into my brain and poked me in the proverbial mind's eye. I've been treating a couple of clients with low back issues and I met quite a number of folk with similar complaints while doing my practice hours as a student. During that time I became aware of the connection between tight and/or short hip flexors and hamstrings and low back pain. Sometimes, actually quite often, stretching these muscle groups delivered relief.

But there was one thing to which I didn't pay as much attention as I would now, and that's overall hip mobility.

Through my own experience of regularly stretching and mobilising the muscles of the hip, I've found it releases my lower back really well. No surprise when you think about it. So now, without overloading my clients with too many new things at once, I teach them not just to stretch hamstrings, quads and hip flexors, but I also teach them to stretch rotators and extensors too. Simple glute stretches and a good piriformis stretch seem to go a long way to reducing lower back issues.

I love what I'm learning!!