CORE RESTORE METHOD | Lesson 4 | Front to Back or Where the HIP FLEXORS live

Published: Fri, 05/04/18

Hey

This week our theme has been "front to back," as in "what is the relationship between the front and the back of my body, and more specifically, between the muscles at the front and the back of my hip joint?"

Let's start with a review what we have covered thus far:

~ we need active stabilization in every step of the walk – when we transfer weight from one foot to the other

~ gluts are the primary hip stabilizers; if they are sleepy / inhibited (as in when we spend a lot of time sitting on them!) – we will most likely overuse other hip / leg / abdominal muscles for stability, thus compromising hip and knee health and alignment.

~ healthy+vibrant gluts support correct pelvic alignment and appropriate length of the pelvic floor muscles, especially at the back of the pelvic floor. Tight gluts can and often will contribute to tight back of the pelvic floor (vice versa is also true!).

~ in order for us to stabilize well, we need to know how to engage and also release / relax the glut. We spend a fair bit of time talking about hip flexion and mastering glut release in hip flexion; moving forward we need to focus on finding + activating the gluts (that's where the Clam Shell and the Mean Green Band come in handy).

~ when the gluts aren't doing their job someone else has to - one common strategy is to grip abdominal muscles or hold the breath to execute the movement. Another is to find readily available helpers - quads, inner thigh muscles, and the hip flexor group are the usual suspects.

and most importantly {in the context of this week's class}

~ gluts work as a reciprocal pair to the hip flexor group: part of their job is to pry tight hip flexors open.

So when the gluts aren't active / strong / resilient:

Sleepy gluts can lead to tight hip flexors.

Tight hip flexors can lead to no hip extension when walking.

No hip extension when walking can lead to unhealthy changes in gait (shortened gait, shuffling, hip swiveling or shimmying, upper body twisting to name just a few) that can potentially lead to hip, knee, and spine damage.

All of that shimmying, shuffling and twisting leads to sensation of imbalance + instability through the torso - which we tend to correct by tightening any muscle we can find.

So this weeks we really, really - and I mean REALLY - focused on opening the fronts of the hips for hip extension, and also really dialed in our glut activation.

{Hello Clamshell}.

Let's start with a bit of anatomy.

I promise I'll make it super short and finish waaay before your eyes glaze over...

The most common hip flexor question - even if it isn't spoken - is this:

"I kinda know where my hip flexors are - right there, in the front of my hips, but you keep talking about rib cage and spine... What the heck?"

A picture is worth a 1000 words - or so they say - so let's take a look at this one.

Let's start with the fact that there's no muscle by the name "hip flexor"; there are several muscles around the front of the hip whose main action is to flex the hip - hence, we call them "hip flexors."

The longer of the two that you see on the picture is called Psoas Major - that's EXACTLY what we've been working on for the last little while. And, of course, it is easy to see on the picture that this very long Psoas Major actually attaches our legs right to our spine.

When this guy is short (or lob-sided) - and for many of us it is simply due to the amount of sitting we do - it applies all sorts of forces to our spine and our rib cage. This is why opening the front of the hips can relieve mid-back pain... Magic, right?

More on the Hip Flexor group as well as instructions for the Clam Shell next week.

In the mean time, here is an abbreviated Front Hip Opening sequence from this week:

Step 1: Start with your belly on the core ball.

This will help to down regulate {calm} the nervous system, which, in turn, can help you work the connective tissue without experiencing too much pinching. Global Shear on the ball also helps to mobilize some of the abdominal muscles and allow for easier access to the hip flexor group.

Options here include side to side rocking, breathing, contract - release, or breath holds.

Step 2: Release the quads.

Lying on your belly, set a ball {or a ball set} under your front mid - thigh.

Start, as usual, with a few breaths.

From there, options are: stay and breathe (especially if sensations are quite strong); contract - release (tighten the muscles of the quad, then release); flossing (bend and straighten the knee).

Step 3: Work the Hip Flexor Group.

We used a soft ball in that same prone position to massage our hip flexors.

Lying face down, set the ball just to the outside of the pubic bone - right where the thigh connects to your torso {look at the image above if in doubt} - and roll up along the inside of the pelvis and up toward the belly button.

A word of caution: this area can be very sensitive to work, so if you feel uneasy about Step 3, instead spend more time with Step 2 - giving your nervous system a chance to get accustomed to pressure in this area.

Step 4: Hip Joint Capsule Reset.

Start on hands and knees; then walk your left leg back - so the leg is fully extended behind you, and your left toes are on the mat / floor.

Position your right knee exactly under your right hip, and then load the bulk of your body weight onto that leg. The key here is to align your knee directly underneath your hip and load the weight over the femur.

Now keeping the weight over the knee, sit your hips back slightly. Imagine that you can drive the top of your femur through the top/side of your butt.

Important reminder: there are no moves / exercises that are right for everyone. If something from above doesn't make sense leave it out - and bring your question to the class - let's take a look at it together.

Enjoy your weekend!

See you on the mat!

Julia + TEAM SATORI