Hip Mobility for Runners

Whether you’re an elite sprinter competing in the Summer Olympics or a weekend warrior who jogs twice a week, hip mobility is vital to performance and overall health. But modern lifestyles can make maintaining hip mobility a challenge, says Sarah Eby, MD, PhD, a Mass General Brigham physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist.

“We all sit too much,” she says. “Even elite athletes struggle with hip mobility. It’s universal to everyone.” 

Luckily, there are things any runner can do to help increase hip mobility. A combination of stretches can help increase flexibility and reduce the risk of injury.

Roots of the problem 

Human hips aren’t meant to be in a seated position for long, especially if someone plans to task those hips with the stresses of a run, Dr. Eby says. 

But jobs done primarily while sitting have increased 83% since 1950, according to the American Heart Association. Another study showed that physically active jobs now make up less than 20% of those in the United States, down from roughly half in 1960.

“Because we all sit so much, our bodies and joints get used to being in that position. That creates a natural imbalance in everything that supports the hips,” Dr. Eby says. “With running, you’re extending your hips, and that might be asking too much of them if we don’t take measures to counteract that imbalance.” 

That’s why some of the most common injuries she sees in her practice start with a lack of hip flexibility.

Common injuries from a lack of hip mobility

The two most frequent locations for these hip problems are:

1. The three gluteal tendons, which attach just below the hip bone
2. The hamstrings

Depending on the severity of the injury, recovery can mean anything from several days of reduced activity to months of intense physical therapy. But as little as 5 to 10 minutes of stretching before and after a run significantly decreases your risk of hip injury, Dr. Eby says.

Running stretches for hip flexibility

Stretches for runners fall into two basic categories: 

1. Static stretches, which include the right-over-left, left-over-right toe-touches learned in gym classes and youth sports, as well as more complex lunges. They are called static because you go into a stretch and hold a pose for a certain length of time.
2. Dynamic stretches, which are controlled movements that stretch muscles through a full range of motion. This helps increase blood flow to the stretched area and is more effective at warming up muscles than static stretches, Dr. Eby says.

The key to either type of stretch is for runners to find something that fits their routine. One of Dr. Eby’s favorite dynamic hamstring stretches for runners involves laying on your back with a strap, belt, or towel under your foot. Hold your leg straight and guide it with the strap through its full range of motion — from across the body to fully open.

“But if you’re going to do this after a run and you don’t have the equipment, find another hamstring stretch that you can do in the moment,” she notes. “Creating a routine that becomes second nature is key.”

Six additional stretches Dr. Eby recommends for increased hip mobility are:

Leg swings

Hang onto something stable, stand on one leg and swing the other leg front to back so the hip goes from fully flexed to fully extended. This is a good dynamic stretch for both the hamstring and for opening the front of the hip. Repeat, swinging the leg from side to side, for additional stretch.

90/90 stretch

Sit with both legs bent 90 degrees. Rotate towards one side, bringing that foot and leg in front of you, so that you form 90-degree angles at both knees and between both thighs. Gently tilt your pelvis toward the front leg, keeping your spine tall and core engaged. You can also target the hip flexors on the opposite side by leaning back and pushing your hips forward, almost rotating them toward the leg in front.

Figure-of-4 stretch

Bend the left hip and knee to 90 degrees, then bring the outside of the right foot over the top of the left knee. You can reach under the left thigh and pull it towards your chest while simultaneously pushing down on the right knee for added stretch. This can be done standing, seated, or lying down. Repeat on the other side.

Standing lunge

With both feet on the ground, roughly 3 or 4 feet apart (depending on your height and flexibility), and with toes pointing forward:

• Target hip flexors on the back leg by straightening the back leg and bending the front, bringing the back hip into extension.
• Target the calf on the back leg by bringing the back hip into neutral and pushing the back heel to the ground.
• Target the spine and glutes on the front leg by reaching the hand opposite the front foot to the ground and rotating the spine towards the opposite side, reaching the other hand to the sky.
• Target the hamstring on the front leg by straightening the front leg and pushing the hips back, bringing the chest toward the front foot.
• Target both adductors (the outside edges of the hips in the thigh area) and hamstrings (back of the upper leg) by turning to the side and rotating the feet 90 degrees, leaning the chest towards the ground, pushing hips side to side if needed.

Cat/cow

While kneeling on the floor with hands shoulder-width apart and knees directly below the hips, curve the lower back, lift your chin, and tilt the pelvis up. This is the cow pose. Then, bring the abdomen in, arch your spine, bring your chin to your chest, and tilt the pelvis down. This is the cat pose.

Downward dog

From that same hands-and-knees position, straighten your legs and lift your hips to the ceiling so that your body is an inverted “V.” Relax the head down and look back toward your belly button. Straighten your legs while pushing your heels toward the floor.

If some of these stretches sound familiar to yoga enthusiasts, there’s a good reason, Dr. Eby says.

“I love it when patients are into yoga,” she says. “Yoga is great for flexibility, especially of the hips, and it also has a meditative side that helps mental health, too.”

Hip soreness versus injury 

One of the most important things for runners at any level is to listen to their bodies to decipher between soreness and injury. Soreness is something that eases over the course of the next workout; an injury gets worse with continued activity.

Dr. Eby says there’s a strong correlation between how long someone waits to seek treatment for pain from a hip injury and the length of time it takes to fully recover.

“When you have an injury, if you wait too long to get it treated, your body gets used to the new normal,” Dr. Eby says. “To re-train your body and get everything to recover into a newer new normal can take months. So, if you’re feeling something that doesn’t feel right and doesn’t go away, that’s something you shouldn’t necessarily push through.”