Got a tight hips? Give THIS hip joint distraction a try! . First, use a thicker monster band (thicker than the one used for the ankle distraction we posted a few weeks ago). For this set up, ideally try and wrap the band ABOVE THE MALLEOLI (those little bones on each side of your ankle). By wrapping the band above the ankle joint, we can try and minimize the amount of distraction force going through the ankle, as the purpose of this technique is to distract the hip joint, not the ankle. . Next, push yourself back to get a good distraction force on the band. . All joints have "loose-pack" and "open-pack" positions. The loose-pack position is the position of the joint in which there is the least amount of joint surface congruency and the ligaments and capsules are most lax. This is the ideal position for a joint if the goal is to distract it, like in this technique! For the hip joint, the open-pack position is 30 deg of hip flexion, 30 deg of abduction, and slight external rotation. . Place a foam roller under your thigh. By doing this, you're putting your hip in ~30 deg of hip flexion. Make sure that your leg is abducted (out to the side) a bit as well, and slightly externally rotated (toes pointed slightly to the outside, not inside). This set up puts your hip joint in the best position possible to maximize the efficacy of this technique. . Before performing this technique, make sure you don't have any knee or ankle issues!! You should ideally only be feeling a pull in your hip! Hold the position for 1 min, relax, and repeat a few times. Then go try that deep squat or whatever other position you feel your hips are limiting you from achieving! Tag a friend with tight hips!!
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