Stretch Out Tension--Don’t Sit on Problems

Be honest. How much of your day is spent sitting? Do you sit behind a desk all day? Do you drive to and from work just in time to sit at the dinner table when you get home? After dinner, do you sit in front of your computer surfing the Web, or on the sofa watching TV? Does your lower back often feel painful or stiff? When you are standing, is there an exaggerated arch in your lower back, with your tailbone lifting and a pot belly protruding in the front?

If you answer “yes” to all or most of these questions, shortened hip flexors may be creating a problem for you. Picture this: You break your arm and your doctor sets it in a bent position and puts it in a cast. When the cast is removed, the muscles, tendons and ligaments around your elbow have shortened so much that your arm won’t fully straighten. By stretching it slowly over a period of time, however, it eventually regains its normal range of motion.

A similar thing can happen to the muscles at the front of your hips, called the hip flexors. Sitting keeps these muscles bent and causes them to get short and tight. Walking up stairs requires your hip flexors to contract as they lift up your legs. Riding a bike forces your hip flexors to do the work of pulling your knees to your chest.

In fact, any activity that brings your torso and legs together will tighten the hip flexors. If you don’t stretch them, tightness in this area limits your ability to fully straighten the front of your body--a key to correct spinal alignment while standing. You may develop what’s known as “swayback” posture, in which your pelvis tilts forward instead of staying level, and causes your lower back to overarch. This condition puts extra pressure on the joints of your lower spine and can result in back pain.

To alleviate this problem, you’ll not only need to lengthen the hip flexors but also to strengthen the opposing muscles--the abdominals and gluteals. Make sure you perform exercises that isolate these opposing muscles without relying on the hip flexors.

For example, old-fashioned full sit-ups where you hook your toes under the couch use more hip flexor strength than abdominals. A better choice would be half sit-ups, where you keep your lower back on the floor. For your gluteals, you can simply do rear leg-lifts from a standing or lying-down position.

To lengthen the hip flexors, do either version of the following stretch. Be sure to relax, breathe comfortably and don’t force the stretch to the point where you feel pain.

A. Start with this easier version.

1. Stand with your left leg as far in front of your right leg as possible.

2. Bend your left knee and roll your right foot under so the top of your instep rests on the floor. Line up your left heel under your left knee. Rest your right knee on the mat. You can place a towel under the knee for added cushioning.

3. Put your fingers on the front pelvic bones so you can feel the small round protuberances on each side. Think of these bones as headlights on your car and keep them facing forward. Point your tailbone toward the floor and pull your navel in toward your spine.

4. Maintaining your pelvis in a level position, place your hands on your left thigh and slowly move your hips forward.

5. Lift your chest and maintain a straight back. You should feel a slight pulling sensation in the front of your right hip and upper thigh.

6. Breathe deeply for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

B. This is a more challenging version.

1. Begin the same way, but instead of bending the back knee on the floor, curl your toes under and straighten your back leg.

2. Once you have your balance, raise your arms above your head. Move your upper arms back toward your ears and create a straight line with your wrists, shoulders and hipbones.

3. Keep the back leg straight and your front knee bent directly over your front heel.

4. Breathe deeply for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side. Pay attention to the flexibility of your hips and the strength of their opposing muscles. Your body will be in better balance and you’ll save yourself from the lower back pain that seems to plague so many of us.

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Karen Voight is a Los Angeles-based fitness expert. She can be reached at kvoight la@aol.com. Her column appears the first Monday of the month.

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Joan Voight, a San Francisco-based journalist, contributed to this column.