Easy To Do Arthritis Hip Exercises
Living with arthritis it is very easy to find any number of joints experiencing pain and stiffness. We are always being told, “you have to move with arthritis” - you can find an article as to why in this LINK - but finding a way to move a painful joint is never easy.
The hip joint is one that can cause a great deal of discomfort if affected by arthritis. It’s a joint that is taken for granted until it doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. A painful hip can make things like getting into bed, getting in and out of cars and baths incredibly difficult. Flexiseq have teamed up with experts Function Jigsaw to offer some easy to do at home exercises for hips. Function Jigsaw’s Senior Therapist Tom Heeley walks us through how to do these and the benefits they can offer.
As with all exercises if you feel any of these are beyond what you are capable of or cause you pain please stop immediately.
Seated Knee Pull
How To Do It:
Sitting down with your back straight take one of your knees and clasp it with both hands. Raising that knee’s foot off the ground pull the knee back towards your chest. Hold it for a second before repeating the action. Repeat this on the other leg. This can also be completed lying on your back on the floor or in bed.
Purpose:
By pulling the joint back you are increasing the range of movement in your hip joints. Furthermore, you are encouraging the muscles to move and stretch to better support the joints’ movement.
Resistance Band Hip Extension
How To Do It:
Loop a resistance band (available HERE) around your ankles. Making sure to hold onto a wall or chair to maintain balance, pull one leg back - keeping both legs as straight as possible. Hold for a second or two and then return to the stationary position before repeating the motion. Do 15 repetitions on one leg before moving to the other.
Purpose:
The resistance encourages you to use more force through your gluteal muscles which can strengthen them to better support the hip joint. The movement itself also extends the hip joint, encouraging movement in said joint can help the synovial fluid flow to it and maintain a healthy joint.
Resistance Band Hip Flexion
How To Do It:
As in the Resistance Band Hip Extension (above), loop a resistance band slightly above your ankles. Be sure to do this facing a wall to help with balance. Gradually lift one leg up and forward, feeling the resistance of the band as you do so. Do this for 15 repetitions and then do likewise on the other leg.
Purpose:
This flexing of the hip joint can help loosen the joint itself to encourage a better range of motion. It will also help strengthen the muscles through your leg to better support your range of movement.
Gluteal Stretch
How To Do It:
In a seated position sit with both legs shoulder-width apart. Raise one knee up, clasp it with both hands and gently pull it up and across towards your stomach. Repeat this for as many repetitions as you can before switching to the other leg and doing the same. This can also be completed lying on your back on the floor or in bed.
Purpose:
Encouraging the use and flexibility of the muscles in and around your buttock will strengthen the gluteus muscles to better support the hip. The across motion also helps to develop the hip joint’s range of motion.
Banded Hip Abductions
How To Do It:
Sit down on the edge of a chair with your back straight. Loop a resistance band around both legs and let it sit just above your knees. Slowly, pushing against the resistance of the band, part your knees, keeping your feet planted on the floor. Part the knees as far as comfortable before returning to the centre. Repeat the action.
Purpose:
Increasing the resistance the hip joints are used to pushing against encourages more range of motion and increases the muscle strength around the gluteals to better support the hip, can also be advanced to standing and in a slight squat.
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