Back & Neck Pain Exercise 5 Types of Hip Stretches for Back Pain Relief By Anne Asher, CPT Anne Asher, CPT Facebook LinkedIn Anne Asher, ACE-certified personal trainer, health coach, and orthopedic exercise specialist, is a back and neck pain expert. Learn about our editorial process Updated on December 01, 2019 Medically reviewed Verywell Health articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and healthcare professionals. These medical reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT Medically reviewed by Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT LinkedIn Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist with experience in hospital-based acute care and outpatient therapy with both children and adults. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Stretching your hip muscles can help your back. Chronically tight hip muscles have the power to pull the pelvis out of alignment, and indirectly affect your spine as they do. The pelvis is a key structure when it comes to back health. In fact, one study found that performing hip exercises for chronic low back pain is more effective than conventional therapy at reducing pain. 1 How Stretching Your Hips Helps Low Back Pain Xavier Arnau / Getty Images The spine is wedged in between the two hip bones that form the back of the pelvis. Not only that but hip muscles, which in some cases can get so very tight, attach onto the pelvis. Their condition helps determine the position of the pelvis, and therefore the chronic position of the spine. At the very least, the tension and/or spasm in muscles that cross over the hip and attach onto the pelvis can contribute to imbalance, in terms of how strong and flexible each muscle group is in relation to the others. But muscle imbalance in the hips and the spine may make for pain, limitation and/or posture problems. It can also increase the healing challenge put to you by an existing injury or condition, for example, scoliosis. If you already have a spine injury or condition, you may find it's all too easy to irritate it when your muscles are tight. 2 Develop Your Hip Stretching Strategy Take a Pix Media / Getty Images Releasing tight hip muscles is an indirect approach to relieving back pain. Because of that, you might consider taking a strategic approach based on where you're the tightest. One thing to keep in mind as you create your hip muscle stretching strategy (and pick out the exercises you’ll do) is that in general, muscles that work your hips are categorized according to their location: Front, outer, back and inner. To a great extent, the muscle’s location determines the type of movement it can produce. For example, your quadriceps are a group of four muscles that are located at the front of the thigh; one of the group members, the rectus femoris, flexes the hip, which brings your lower extremity (thigh, lower leg, and foot) forward, in front of you. On the other hand, your hamstring muscles are located at the back of the thigh. When they contract, they extend the hip and flex the knee, bringing it behind you. 3 Quadriceps Hip Stretches Verywell / Ben Goldstein Your quadriceps are located at the front of the thigh. One of the quadriceps muscles, the rectus femoris, crosses over the hip joint in front, which means it produces hip movement, which, in this case, is hip flexion. The rectus femoris is unique from most of the body’s muscles because it is what is known as a “two-joint muscle.” This simply means that along with crossing over and affecting motion in your hip joint, it also crosses over and affects your knee. (The rectus femoris extends i.e., straightens, the knee.) The exercises in this article are limited to the hip portion of this muscle. Quadriceps Stretching Action To stretch your quadriceps at the hip, the idea is to do the opposite movement to flexion—that is, extension. You can perform extension moves at the hip while standing, lying on your side, lying prone (on your stomach) and kneeling. Even basic stretches done at a pain-free level where you can feel a small bit of challenge, and that are held continuously for approximately 30 seconds may translate to better posture and less back pain. 4 Hamstring Hip Stretches Siri Stafford / Getty Images Like quadriceps, the hamstrings are two-joint muscles, but they reside at the back of your thigh. They attach at the siting bones, which are located on the underside of your pelvis. When the hamstring muscles contract, the effect is a pulling of the back of the pelvis down toward the back of the thigh, or a bringing of the lower extremity back behind you. Either way, this move is called “hip extension.” You use your hamstrings when you walk, run, and climb stairs. You might also use them in sports that require explosive jumping such as basketball. Usually, hamstrings are weaker than the quadriceps, but when they are tight, this may lead to a posture issue called flat low back. Hamstrings Stretching Action To stretch the hip portion of your hamstrings, perform hip flexion movements while extending your knee. It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced athlete or a beginner—there’s a hamstring stretch for every type of person. 7 Great Hamstring Stretches Anyone Can Do 5 Outer Hip Muscle Stretches for Low Back Pain Relief Cavan Images / Getty Images Muscles on the outside of the hip help to stabilize your body posture. They play important roles in walking and standing, as well as overall balance of the pelvic position. For this reason, it's important to keep them in good working order. While on the topic of outer hip muscles, consider spinal rotation for a minute. You may believe that when you've got your spine in a twist, it's all happening in the back. In a well-functioning spine, this is not completely true. The hip joints play an important role by adapting the pelvic position to support and increase the rotation. Their construction allows for swiveling action to take place, which may increase your twisting range of motion as well as keep your back safe. But if your outer hip muscles are tight, your rotational range may be limited. This is another reason why stretching your outer hip muscle may be a good idea. Outer Thigh Muscle Stretching Action To stretch your outer thigh muscles, the idea is to bring the leg in towards the midline of your body. Generally, this means you'll cross your lower extremity in front of your body. A number of strategies, including using various positions can help you achieve just the right stretch. Outer Hip Muscle Stretches for Low Back Pain Relief 6 Inner Hip Muscle Stretches Ameliafox / Deposit Photos Inner hip muscles (also called the groin or adductor muscles) help you balance while standing and locomoting. They also work with the outer hip muscles to keep your pelvis aligned horizontally. When chronic adductor tension causes pelvic tilting, which may be viewed as one hip higher than the other, your sacroiliac and/or low back may be affected. Many people are tight in their groin muscles without realizing it. Perhaps they never venture to stretch this area. Inner Thigh Muscle Stretching Action To stretch your inner thigh muscles, bring one leg out to the side while keeping your trunk still and in good alignment. Inner Thigh Muscle Stretches Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 1 Source Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Lee SW, Kim SY. Effects of hip exercises for chronic low-back pain patients with lumbar instability. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(2):345-8. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.345