ON Chiropractic
Get the Hips Moving
As a profession, chiropractors are
particularly attuned to looking at the
whole body and finding connections
that help patients to recover full
function. When working with patients
with hip problems, particularly older
patients, there are three main goals:
1. Building strength, balance and
mobility in the hips to spare the
spine.
2. Enhancing and preserving the
patient’s overall function, capability
and confidence.
3. Empowering the patient to take
charge of their own health.
Manual Techniques
Manual techniques you may wish to
use when restoring hip function in your
patients include:
∞∞ Sacroiliac joint manipulation.
∞∞ Lumbar manipulation.
∞∞ Hip long axis distraction.
∞∞ Hip anterior to posterior
mobilization,
∞∞ Hip posterior to anterior mobilization
with some external rotation.
∞∞ Lateral glide mobilizations with a
belt.
∞∞ Proximal tibular-fibular joint
mobilization (especially if dealing
90/90 hip opening mobility stretches
with Dr. Andreo Spina
with a unilateral hip issue like
osteoarthritis).
∞∞ Soft tissue work on the gluteus
maximus/medius complex, hip
rotators, joint capsule, adductor
muscle complex and posterior pelvic
ligaments.
Patient Exercises for Hip
Mobility, Flexibility and
Balance
Helpful patient exercises include:
∞∞ Stretches of the glutes, hip flexor and
rotator and adductor.
∞∞ Supine bent-knee hip internal
rotation to affect the posterior joint
capsule.
∞∞ Dynamic stretches and movements
including squat progressions, sit-tostand, lunges to a raised surface and
quadruped rocking.
∞∞ Hip abduction on a foam roller.
∞∞ “Monster walks” using an exercise
band.
Flow hip mobility warm up
with Dean Somerset
∞∞ Balance exercises such as standing
on a single leg with support with
the eyes open. This exercise can
be made progressive by removing
support, closing the eyes, shifting
weight or using an unstable surface
such as a pillow.
Dr. Thistle also recommends functional
movement stretches for the hips, such as:
∞∞ 90/90 hip opening mobility stretches
with Dr. Andreo Spina: www.youtube.
com/watch?v=nLuvQCTPrcY
∞∞ Flow hip mobility warm up with
Dean Somerset, a Certified Exercise
Physiologist: www.youtube.com/
watch?v=XH0b7T_LSkY
The OCA would like to thank Dr.
Shawn Thistle at RRS Education for
his assistance in preparation of this
article. For more information about
RRS Education’s Research Reviews,
Seminars and Online Courses, please
visit rrseducation.com.
Spine Sparing Strategies: Hip Mobility & Healthy Aging
Dr. Shawn Thistle reviews the evidence on the relationship between hip mobility and lumbar spine
function and demonstrates simple spine-sparing treatment and exercise techniques for your older
patients. www.chiropractic.on.ca/spine-sparing-strategies
www.chiropractic.on.ca
7