The Hip Joint
Much as the knees have their own blog post yet cannot be considered in isolation, so too for the hip. Similar to the knee being the joint of the leg and thigh, the hip is the joint of the thigh and pelvis. The hip joint’s main function is to support body weight. The joint is formed by the head, or top of the thigh bone (femur) as it nestles in the “little vinegar cup” (acetabulum) of the pelvis. There is one hip joint on each side of the pelvis, helping to form the pelvic girdle (more about that in another post). Collectively this area is commonly referred to as our hips. The image below depicts three views of the femur sitting in the acetabulum.
One way of keeping the knee joint healthy is to strengthen the muscles that work with the knee. The same goes for nourishing the hip by strengthening the muscles around it. Since the hips, thighs and knees (plus the legs and feet!) all work together, movements that strengthen the thighs and knees also strengthen the hips.
In addition to the thigh muscles, another muscle group that works with the hips are those of the buttocks (gluteals) of which there are three. Kenhub provides an entertaining and full tour of the muscles of the hip and thigh.
Leg lifts with a block. Lie down on one side of your body with the heel, hip and shoulder aligned. Place a block so that it will be under the top foot such that the leg is at or close to hip height. For stability, place the upper hand in front on the mat, then gently bend and glide the bottom knee forward along the floor for further support.
Flex through the top foot placing it on top of the block. Take several breaths in this position. Keeping the foot flexed, lift the upper leg three or four inches, then lower down. The block is there to maintain the starting height. Explore keeping the up and down movement smooth and continuously flowing. Be reasonable with the flow, taking it to your gentle edge, where any further movement would become uncomfortable.
When you have finished flowing, rest with your foot on the block and notice where you feel sensation then explore this leg movement on your other side.
Sixty year old hip joints hula hooping for their very first time!