Healthy hips are hard to come by 

The hip flexor is a group of five muscles that connects the femur to the pelvis and forms a pivotal part of the connection between your upper and lower body. Because of their location, the hip flexors can either be a blessing or a curse- while they are essential for healthy movement and the transference of forces, they can also be implicated in poor posture. The fact is that poor posture most often originates in the lower body, particularly here in the hips, and not in the back as we would think. When we sit all day, our hip flexors remain overly tightened, losing their flexibility in the process. As we will find, this causes a number of problems relating to posture and spinal health. 

Tight hips to the fore

Chronically tight hips are linked with anterior pelvic tilt, a postural deviation that has the potential to cause a lot of back pain. With your pelvis tilted and your hip flexors tight, your spine is lacking a lot of support at its foundation, and the most likely outcome is that you slouch or hunch over to compensate and make yourself feel more comfortable. This further complicates the burden on your spine and contributes to poor circulation in the lower back. This systemic musculoskeletal deficiency is becoming more and more common in our technologically-minded age- it is more important than ever that we keep our tight hips in mind. 

Keeping your hips open and your spine balanced in Houston

At our office in Houston, we have decades of experience helping people maintain the integrity of their hip flexors in support of good spinal health. Some things that you can do to promote better hip health include:

• Always maintaining neutral posture
• Making sure your seated posture is supported 
• Taking frequent breaks from sitting
• Regularly stretching your hips with movements like the pigeon pose
• Focus on evenly distributing your weight between the two sides of your body

By focusing on your hips as a portal to the spine, you can make great changes in your overall wellbeing and prevent a lot of back pain and dysfunction. If you would like to find out more about this natural approach to healthcare, give our office in Houston a call to schedule an appointment today.