If you have lower leg issues like knee pain, shin splints, Achilles tendonitis and even plantar fasciitis, the trouble probably isn’t in your lower leg.
It’s in your hip.
(BTW, if you go see a health care professional for knee pain and he/she looks only at your knee, you need to see someone else.)
We’ve known for years that there’s a high correlation between ankle sprains and hip abductor (“outer thigh”) weakness.
And I’ve preached for years that plantar fasciitis is related to issues with hip rotation.
Now a new study published in the latest issue of Sport Health shows weak hip muscles correlate to a higher risk of lower leg injuries.
Actually, the study isn’t “new.” It’s a review of previous research dating as far back as 1980.
Dr. Reed Ferber – the head researcher – of the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada explains:
“The hip muscles are responsible for stabilizing the leg during running. If these muscles are weak, or become fatigued easily, there is less control of the leg and the risk of injury increases.”
Prime example …
If your hip abductors (mainly the gluteus medius, or so-called “outer hip muscle”), aren’t sufficiently strong, you can over-pronate.
Pronation is normal and natural. Over-pronation is a problem. When you over-pronate, your knee – which should go inward naturally – goes in too far.
It’s not hard to understand how this can cause knee problems like patellofemoral pain (usually felt around the kneecap), “chondromalacia” (an archaic term sometimes used to refer to pain under the kneecap), or ITBS (iliotibial band syndrome) which leads to discomfort toward the outside of the knee.
Ferber’s team noted that up to 70 percent of runners get some type of overuse injury each year, with about half of those injuries occur in the knee.
They also pointed out that studies indicate that strengthening the muscles may be much more important than stretching when it comes to reducing injury risk.
(That’s not to say stretching is completely worthless. You just need to keep in mind that when one muscle is short, another muscle must be weak. Stretching something without strengthening something else is futile.)
Ferber and colleagues concluded that strengthening your hip muscles can not only resolve lower leg injuries but may even prevent them. Specifically, the team is currently researching whether strength training focusing on the hip can actually prevent lower leg injuries.
[My response: "Duh."]
They noted that as little as 6-weeks of hip-muscle training can alleviate pain from a variety of ailments.
So, what are YOU doing to strengthen your hips? (Certainly not the side-lying Jane Fonda looking stuff, I hope.)
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Great, comprehensive piece, Stephen! I’m going to share this link in my weekly eblast for readers.
Thanks!
Margie
Thanks, Margie. It’s great to hear from you!
Great post, Stephen. I just did a little video for my blog about self care for plantar fasciitis. Didn’t think to include hip work. You make a good point here about it. Guess I’ll have to do “Part 2″ for my video and credit you w/the idea.
I do external rotator hip exercises to support a low back issue I have, but you’re right, it really makes sense to do it for lower body functionality, too. Thanks!
Becky
Thanks, Becky. I’d be glad to post the video here. – Stephen
So what exercises do you recommend?
Stephen great stuff! Another tool added to my tool box of fitness. I love learning about this keep it coming!
Thanks, Rob!
- Stephen
Hi Stephen, do you recommend any particular exercises for the outer hip?
I’ve been suffering from knee pain for nearly a year now and about the only thing I haven’t tried is hip strengthening, so thanks for this post.