Thread by @Conor_Harris_

A thread on hip mobility: How to assess it & how to improve it

The average human hip has ~95 degrees of a total arc of external & internal rotation (ER/IR) available:

✅45 degrees of ER
✅40 degrees of IR

But many people have so much less than that. In order to improve it...

We should first know why it’s important.

The femur (thigh bone) needs to rotate within the hip socket in just about any dynamic activity.

We also know that if the body is lacking mobility where it should have it, it will find it somewhere else (joint-by-joint concept).

In order to measure it, it’s very important to get an accurate measurement the first place.

See here:

This is where people initially go wrong.

It is very easy to “fake” hip range of motion via compensation and moving through the lumbar spine.

A general rule is we will “roll away” from the leg to find internal rotation.

You’ll see the leg push inwards:

And we will “roll towards” it to find external rotation.

You’ll see the leg push out and the other (down-side leg) also potentially move.

People will have much less genuine range of motion than you actually think.

Generally speaking, if someone is missing hip IR it’s usually because they are stuck in a position of hip & pelvic external rotation.

This (again, usually) means that the muscles on the back side of the pelvis are tight.

The inverse would be true for ER limitations. Tightness of hip flexors and IR muscles can limit leg ER.

These people are also often in an anterior pelvic tilt which allows them to pick up IR, but limits the ability for the femur to rotate into ER.

This is the general idea, but there are also contexts in which you are really far into anterior or posterior pelvic tilt that you can’t move further into a position you are already in.

So either IR or ER becomes limited, respectively.

To improve IR, I recommend using positions that bias internal rotation naturally.

Good ways to do this are:
- Positions in 90 degrees of hip & knee flexion (bend)
- Activating muscles that create IR (inner hamstrings, glute med, and adductors)

(Exercise credit @postrestinst)

- Hinges bias more IR because of the amount of hip flexion and IR required to move into that position.

We can improve it even more by staggering the stance which will bias more IR on the rear leg.

The added toe elevation ⬆️ IR as well via biasing foot dorsiflexion & shin IR:

Sometimes it’s necessary to “stretch out” the back hip capsule to improve the ability to slide the femur back in the first place.

If you are struggling, try this:

(This is a modified @postrestinst exercise):

To improve ER, I recommend facilitating the glutes (hip ER muscles) as well as the hamstrings which help pull the pelvis back out of an anterior pelvic tilt.

Here is one drill you can use to do that:

External rotation is also needed for the deepest levels of hip flexion (hip bend).

We can bias & work through that in a position like this:

A heels elevated, deep squat with a band keeping the knees in line with the toes can also work well.

Be sure to go slow and control the tempo as I describe:

Ultimately it is important to have a thorough assessment process.

Only going off of one assessment is not going to give the best indications as to what could be happening or limiting movement.

This is only one perspective, but a helpful one when digested in the right context.

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