S B Coaches College - Basic Hip Mobility




		Basic Hip Mobility *Robb Rogers, M.Ed, CSCS*

The knee is a slave to the hip and ankle. When there is knee discomfort or pain, it is generally better to focus above and/or below the joint affected and address that dysfunction than to focus on the knee itself and attempt to solve the symptom. Once the ankle or hip dysfunction is remedied, then the knee will be free to move as designed and the symptom of discomfort or pain will disappear. Many times the problem that is causing the knee to have discomfort or pain is just the loss of general mobility in the hip or ankle. With just a couple of very basic exercises, it is relatively easy to remedy this problem most problems that occur in the hip which lead to knee pain.

As the TFL and IT band become tighter with age and lateral hip strength increases due to change of direction demands of sport as well as the use of chairs and lots of sitting cause the hip flexors to become shortened the hip begins to lose mobility. As the hip loses mobility the low back (above) and the knee (below) will be forced to compensate with increased motion for the restricted movement patterns of the hip. Many times this increased motion is in planes of movement in which the joint or area is not designed to move with frequency or load. The following drills are excellent at restoring mobility through the functional and loaded ranges of motion as well as for adding strength to the quads, which will assist the individual to become more of a knee bender and less of a waist bender.

In – Line Lunge

The in-line lunge which is part of the Functional Movement Screen is the first exercise. The feet are placed in line and the hips are “squared up” so the belly button is facing straight ahead. When the front knee locks out in full extension, then the hips are usually square. At this point, the athlete/client will engage the TA by “being very tall” and lunge forward and down in order to touch the rear leg knee directly behind the front foot. Upon returning to a full upright and tall position, the rear foot heel will be on the ground. Two sets of 5 reps are usually sufficient in order to accomplish increase mobility with this drill. This is level one in the progression.

Level two of the in – line lunge progression is to put each foot on either side of a line. For example, the rear right foot would be on the left side of a line in which the front left foot would be on the right side of that line. When executing the lunge, the cues of tall for the TA and rear foot heel down upon returning to the upright position remain the same. However, the rear leg knee will touch directly in front of the rear foot and the front leg knee will remain in line and over the forefoot of the front leg.

Level three is the same as two except for one slight difference. The feet are lined up on either side of a line that is as wide as the fist or foot of the athlete/client. All other cues remain the same as in level two.

Lateral Lunge – Lateral Squat

The lateral squat is the lateral version of the in-line lunge. The feet are on a line with the toes even with the top of the line. The feet are aligned such that the toes are straight ahead or slightly, very slightly turned in. The athlete will slide laterally and sit back with w full – footed stance. The shin should remain parallel and the ankle, knee and hip joints should align with the eye/ear. The weight should be distributed so that the big toe, little toe and heel form a tripod of support. The minimum acceptable range of motion for normal function in this pattern is hamstring parallel with the floor. The squat is executed with a stance that has the heels even with or slightly wider than the shoulder joint. The lunge is executed by stepping out into this position.

Scorpion Squat

The scorpion or curtsey squat is the highest level of functional hip mobility. The athlete will reach around and laterally with the swing leg and place the foot on the ground, shoelaces down and toes pointing laterally to the side. The knee of the swing leg should contact the floor just behind and laterally on the side of the support leg the swing leg is reaching. The pillar core should remain erect as the athlete sits back and down into the squat. Lack of mobility will impact demonstrated strength and balance as the athlete attempts the first few reps.

Each of these drills is a precursor to the one following it. Each level of the in-line lunge must be mastered before the lateral lunge can be accomplished. The lateral lunge at the hamstring parallel must be attained before the scorpion squat will become natural. As each level of the progression is mastered, it is my experience that most knee discomfort and pain will gradually disappear. One exception to this is a kneecap tracking problem that is caused by tightness in the resting length of the vastus laterallis due to the tensile – neural feedback loop. For this answer, look to the article “Lateral Release Surgery Outmoded – 7 Days to Proper Knee Cap Tracking”