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There are various types of pain, but neck pain is the most common in Americans. It can be a stiff neck, pain in your shoulders and upper back when waking up, or simply a limited range of motion. Whether the discomfort arises from chronic stiffness or the residual effects from an accident, neck pain has a way of interfering with various aspects of your life.

If you’ve been experiencing neck pain for a significant portion of your life, you’ve probably learned how to manage it using neck stretches occasionally, especially in the morning. You may think that neck stretches for pain are effective, but you’ll be surprised to learn it may actually not be the best plan of action.

You probably have several questions regarding this, considering the routine has been working thus far for you. So how could it be that we are telling you neck stretches aren’t enough? For the record, this isn’t meant to encourage you to get rid of your stretching routine completely. Instead, it’s intended to inform you that stretching alone won’t help you get rid of the chronic pain you feel.

Anytime people feel some neck tightness, the first impulse is to try stretching. Sometimes it may work, but other times you experience zero results. Here is everything you need to know about why neck stretches aren’t enough and the two muscles that matter when dealing with neck tightness.

Causes of neck tension

The neck has several flexible muscles that work to hold the weight of your head. If overused, these muscles can get irritated or injured. Neck tension, therefore, refers to pain in the neck that develops when the neck muscles are unable to relax, leading to muscle spasms, soreness, and even headaches.

Studies state that more than 70% of adults experience neck tension during their lifetime. Depending on the cause, people experience varying types of neck tension which have different symptoms. The brain relays electrical signals to trigger some muscle movement. In response, the muscles will either relax or contract depending on the message the brain relayed.

Neck tension occurs when a muscle in the neck remains contracted despite the brain telling it to relax. If the muscle remains contracted for an extended period, it leads to pain. People develop neck tension for several reasons, including:

Postural problems

Poor posture is a huge contributor to neck tension. People who slouch in their chair or hunch over their computer all day may notice some tension in the neck after some time. A 2016 study found a direct correlation between a forward head posture and neck pain.

Poor posture causes the weight of the head to shift away from the center of the body and forward. This then forces the neck muscles to work harder to hold the head, instead of being naturally supported by the spine. Slouching causes the head to move forward, forcing the neck to bend, thus overextending the muscles in the back of the neck. With time, this results in inflammation or pain.

Teeth grinding

Teeth grinding, also called bruxism, is when a person clenches or bites their teeth while sleeping. This then puts pressure on the neck and the jaw muscles, thus causing neck tension and pain. In other cases, it causes headaches.

Repetitive neck movements

People who engage in activities that require repetitive motion throughout the day may acquire Repetitive Motion Disorders (RMD). The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines repetitive motion disorders as a group of muscular conditions that arise from repetitive motions done in the course of daily activities or everyday work.

They are caused by unnatural motions such as incorrect posture or twisting of the arm or wrist. RMDs usually affect people who work in the assembly line, such as meatpacking, computer work, or sewing. Although they typically happen in the hands, shoulders, and wrists, they may also affect the neck. If not treated immediately, RMDs can result in inflammation, swelling, or tissue damage in severe cases.

Injuries

Injuries may occur in the neck muscles if a person lifts heavy weights or experiences whiplash due to an accident. Such injuries can result in mild to severe muscle strains and, if left untreated, may lead to persistent neck pain.

Stress

Whenever the brain picks up on stress, it signals the body to release several hormones that increase heart rate and tighten muscles. For someone who experiences frequent anxiety, the muscles tend to remain contracted for a long time, thus resulting in neck tension.

Tension in pec minor

The pec minor or pectoralis minor starts from the ribs and attaches itself to the front of the shoulder blade. It has a significant effect on how the shoulder blade positions itself. The pec minor is very vulnerable and gets tight with a slumped posture. A tight pec minor leads to a forward tipped shoulder blade resulting in a rounded shoulder position.

If you catch sight of yourself from the side, and your shoulders are rounded forward, creating a rounded upper back and outstretched neck, the culprit is your pec minor muscles. Relaxing these muscles will help bring your body back into upright alignment.

If the shoulder blades are pulled forward, the spine will curve, forcing the neck to extend so that the head can continue pointing forward. This leads to a strain on the neck and leads to tightening of the neck muscles.

The difference between stretching and pressing a muscle

Stretching and pressing a muscle are two different techniques that people use whenever they feel some muscle tightness. They are both ways of addressing muscle tightness. When stretching a muscle, you’re elongating it by undertaking a particular movement with your body. If, for example, you do an upper back stretch, your brain signals the body to release some tension. With continuous stretching, the brain reprograms the signals so that you can stretch a bit further every time by warming the muscle-up.

When you put prolonged pressure on a muscle, it will increase circulation and inhibit the contraction of muscle fibers. Holding the muscle in one place for a long time without any motion results in the brain signaling the particular muscle to relax. Prolonged pressure is vital for releasing muscle tension in areas where you’re experiencing muscle knots.

Tight muscles require pressure

Although stretching your neck feels like a great way of releasing muscle tension, it’s not always the best approach. Stretching is an excellent way of increasing motion, circulation and informing the muscle how it can repair itself after a workout. However, stretching might only do the bare minimum if your muscle has tension (is contracted). Your muscles will elongate, but when you rest, the muscle tightness returns. If you’re looking for a good way of getting your muscles to relax, apply prolonged pressure.

If you introduce pressure on the area with a finger or tool, the brain will respond by releasing pain signals at first. After some time of prolonged pressure (preferably 90 seconds), the muscle will start to relax in a long-term way without worrying about the muscle knot returning. This technique is way more effective in releasing muscle tension and muscle knots compared to massaging and stretching.

Tools for tight necks

You’ll need a tool to provide specific angular pressure to reach and release these spots to relax the neck. Because you need to apply prolonged pressure, you want something anatomically-shaped to access these muscles (not something round!) that isn’t going to slide or roll, that can handle pressure, and is able to adapt to your body and isolate these small yet mighty muscles.

We recommend the Nuckle: It’s designed by a PT to release, relax, and realign the neck and shoulders. With three widths and six angles, it can adjust to everybody and apply clinically effective specific pressure to relax tight muscles and reduce pain.

Frequently asked questions about neck pain and neck tightness

What causes a stiff neck?

Oftentimes, a stiff neck is caused by contracted muscles (usually the suboccipitals) that won’t relax. Overtime, these muscles pull the adjacent structures out of alignment. The root cause can be poor posture, created by tension in the pec minor muscles.  

How do I get rid of a stiff neck?

Releasing two key muscle groups can help with neck stiffness: the suboccipitals at the base of the skull and pec minor muscles in the chest. The best way to relax these muscles is to apply direct, prolonged pressure to the muscles with a tool that can access these hard-to-reach muscles.

How do I treat a stiff neck in 60 seconds?

Focus on these two muscles: pec minor in the chest and the suboccipitals at the base of the skull. Apply precise, prolonged pressure to these muscles for at least 30-90 seconds to allow the muscles to release. Rubbing back and forth can aggravate these muscles, and stretching only provides temporary relief.

Why do my ankles hurt when I run?

To be honest, this is not a simple, cut and dry question to answer. There are a bunch of reasons why someone’s ankles hurt when they run, including:

• Sprains
• Strains
• Stress fractures
• Tendinitis
• Incorrect running form
• Foot pronation or supination
• Plantar fasciitis
• Muscle weakness
• Muscle tension

While this list doesn’t encompass everything under the sun, these may all have a common culprit. If you’re experiencing more than one from this list, it may be because they’re more interconnected than you thought!

For instance, muscle weakness can lead to muscle tension in other muscles, due to overcompensation. Then, that muscle tension can lead to misalignment and incorrect running form, and eventually tendinitis.

And that could lead to an ankle strain or sprain, or even a stress fracture.

From personal experience of over 20 years as a physical therapist working with runners, one of the most common reasons people have ankle pain while they run is because of muscle tension in the hip flexors. Yup, tight hips when running are trouble.

Most people don’t even think to consider that part of the body but – like I said – it’s all interconnected. Let’s take a closer look at how…

Your hip flexors: powering each stride

When we are addressing pain, we often start by addressing the initial symptom. If you’ve been here for a while, you know I’m all about finding the cause – and creating habits that prevent the pain in the future. Often, it means looking to other parts of the body that could be triggering your ankle pain when running.

Even though you are worrying about why your ankles hurt when you run, your ankles might not be the main issue at all. In fact, they’re probably not.

It’s probably coming from higher in your legs, knees, or hips. And I’d be willing to bet on the latter.

It can be hard to imagine how an issue in your hips can make its way all the way to your ankles, but it is all by a network of muscles that start in your hip flexors. Your hip flexors, or iliopsoas muscles, are actually two muscles: the iliacus and the psoas, and it’s important to understand how they work.

The iliacus sits on the inside of your pelvis bone, comes down the front of your hip, and connects to the front of your thigh bone. The location of your iliacus is very close to the hip joint, which is why it’s common to feel hip pain or tension if this muscle has become overworked.

The psoas starts its upper attachment on the diaphragm and has a tight grip on your entire lower spine. Moving down, it crosses the iliacus and attaches to the same spot on the front of your thigh bone.

Your hip flexors earned their name because they flex your hips. These muscles are quite literally the reason you can create the forward and backward movements of your legs while running.

Hip flexion is when you move your leg forward, like when you step forward or up when you are running. And hip extension is when you bring your leg behind you. Your leg isn’t bearing any weight in this position, but it’s still indirectly engaging the iliopsoas muscle.

So, for every running stride length you take, you are engaging the iliopsoas. For proper hip alignment and the best running form, the iliopsoas needs to be flexible enough to stretch into a full leg extension while running, but taut enough to pull your leg back into position.

But that’s not all.

These muscles also work round the clock to stabilize your spine, keeping it in the correct position and alignment relative to your pelvis. And this doesn’t just impact your ability to run.

What happens when your hip flexors stay tight?

Start to think of your hip flexor muscles like a new rubber band or hair tie, quickly and easily moving back to its original shape. Just like a rubber band, prolonged activity, improper or overstretching, infrequent stretching, and more makes it very easy for these to become stressed and/or worn out.

When they are stressed, they may not release their hold on your bones and joints – creating tight muscles and joint issues. But the same happens when they are fatigued. Your hip muscles actually work harder when they are tired, and that causes them to apply more force than is needed to our joints.

Both options lead to the same issue: tight hip flexor muscles.

And this is the beginning of the dominos. The first piece to fall. Because when your iliopsoas is tight, the other muscles in your hip and pelvic area won’t align properly. The tightened muscles will also shorten, pulling unnaturally on your thigh bone and knee joints.

This causes everything else down the line to topple out of place.

As these dominos fall, it can cause your thigh bone to rotate inward, stretching and straining the inside of the knee.

Eventually, nearby structures like your MCL (medial collateral ligament) and your thigh adductor muscles become more strained and inflamed. The continuous stretch on the inside of your knee puts more pressure on the outside of the knee as well.

The twist of your knee now can strain your meniscus and make it harder for your knee to absorb shock and keep the knee stabilized. (This is why you may be having knee pain after running too.)

Pronation in runners

The internal rotation of your leg can also turn into a twisted ankle or a flattened foot. As the ankle turns inward, your foot naturally becomes flatter. When your foot and ankle are in this position, you are at higher risk of injury and strain to your knees, hips, ankles, and feet.

If the bones in your foot aren’t lining up properly, this will cause wear on the ankle over time and the Achilles tendon can also become strained.

When the foot is twisted into a flattened position, it causes something many runners may already be aware of called foot pronation, which brings your weight more towards the inside of your foot every time you step. When this happens, the bottom of your foot is easily irritated and can quickly develop into running feet, plantar fasciitis, or even bunions.

Now you can see how the answer to the question: “why do my ankles hurt when I run” could actually be your tight hip flexors – even if your hips are showing no sign of tightness or pain. The issues may be manifesting in other parts of your lower body, but it can usually be traced up the leg and into your core.

How to prevent ankle pain after running

If your hip flexors are causing you to ask “why do my ankles hurt when I run?” then it’s time to solve the real problem – not just the symptom. And it starts with establishing proper hip alignment.  

Realigning your hips can be broken into three parts:

• First, address the muscle tension from all angles.
• Second, implement gentle daily realignment exercises.
• Third, be consistent with your running recovery routine.

Depending on the severity of your hip flexor tightness or how long your body has gotten used to operating out of alignment, each of these steps will take a different amount of time.

It doesn’t mean your ankle pain from running will go away overnight, but you might be surprised at how quickly symptoms begin to subside. I have seen iliopsoas releases that bring some instant relief!

The important thing to keep in mind is to be patient and understand this is a process.

Treating tight hips for runners

Have you ever had hip pain after running? Did that pain appear before or after your ankle pain appeared?

If you did, targeting your iliopsoas muscle tension will help you address several pain points.

The best way to address muscle tension is by applying prolonged pressure. When you apply pressure for at least 30-90 seconds, it gives the mechanoreceptors in your muscle tissue enough time to send signals to your brain and tell it to stop holding tension in the area.

That’s why if you skip the muscle pressure release and go right to stretching, you get fewer results. The muscles will still retain tension and it will be a bit like trying to stretch an impossibly tight rubber band.

To reach these muscles for a full pressure release, one way is to work with a manual therapist to help you. Or you can release these muscles at home, using a precision tool designed to reach these pressure points. The Hip Hook is currently the only muscle release tool that targets your psoas and your iliacus muscle to release tension. It does this by using specific angular pressure in hard-to-reach locations.

To use the Hip Hook, first locate the soft spot just inside of your pelvic bone. This where your psoas and iliacus muscles live. Once you’ve found this spot, lay on the Hip Hook, letting it sink into the psoas for about 90 seconds. Once the psoas has had time to relax, you can push the lever on the Hip Hook to push into the iliacus muscle and pin it against your ilium. Continue to apply this prolonged pressure for another 90 seconds.

Listen to your body and pay attention to the sensitivity you may have in this area. Staring out with less time at first and working your way up to longer sessions is perfectly okay, and even encouraged!

If you know your hip flexors are extremely tight, or you’re not accustomed to pressure in this area, you may choose to start with the Hip Release Ball. The size and firmness of the ball are perfect for warming up this area for more direct pressure with the Hip Hook. While the ball won’t be able to access your iliacus, it provides broad pressure to the psoas muscle: the size and density ensures that it doesn’t get lost in your abdomen and will be able to help release this muscle. It can also be used to release the back of your hip and the piriformis muscle.

Realignment exercises to add to your routine

Once the tension has been released, you still need to start working your pelvis back into alignment so the rest of your leg can track straight again. To do this, perform realignment exercises after you use the Hip Hook.

Unlike the muscle tension release tools, you should only perform the realignment exercise on the side of your hip that is being pulled out of alignment. Here is how to perform the realignment in 10 simple steps:

1. Lay on an even flat surface on your back.
2. Bring your knees up towards your chest. Your feet should be off the ground.
3. Place one hand behind the knee on the side of your hip you are realigning. This is the side that has more tension and is being pulled forward (also likely the side of your body that has ankle pain).
4. Squeeze your hand behind your calf muscle by bending your knee towards your butt and the floor.
5. While you do this, moderately push against your hand without moving. It should feel as if you are attempting to push your foot towards the ground.
6. As you push, the hand holding your leg will resist the pressure. Do not press too hard, just enough to feel some force.
7. Your opposing leg should stay off the ground but in a neutral position.
8. Hold the pressure and pushing motion for two seconds.
9. Relax for a few moments.
10. Repeat the cycle of pressure and relaxing 10 times.

Consistency is key

As a runner, you know that you won’t go from your couch to running marathons after one training session. Well, the same can be said for running recovery and alleviating that ankle pain.

Once you’ve answered the question, “why do my ankles hurt when I run?” and you’ve narrowed down the root cause, then you can start to take on a consistent, daily running recovery routine.

When I say daily, I mean daily! When it comes to ankle pain that is caused by muscle tension, it will take time for your muscles to learn to relax.

Using tools like the Hip Hook and Hip Release Ball are very effective in training your muscles to release tension, but only if you practice the steps provided above daily.

The good news is that these running recovery tips can fit right in with your running routine and only take 10 minutes. They won’t be adding an exorbitant amount of time to your workout schedule – and they are likely to make running more pain-free and enjoyable with time.

FAQs about ankle and foot pain while running

Should I stop running when my ankles hurt?

First, rest and treat the immediate pain. Then, address the root cause of the pain which may include tight hip flexors which are changing the overall alignment and stress on your ankles.

How do runners strengthen their ankles?

There are exercises you can do to strengthen your ankles, including calf raises.

How to do a calf raise:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart at the edge of a step with something to hold onto for balance (i.e., a railing). If you don’t have access to stairs, you can do this on a flat surface.
• Raise your heels up so you are standing on your toes.
• Lower your heels down.
• November 1, 2021

Having hip pain when standing up after sitting can be difficult to deal with. You’re sitting every day (for more hours than you want to admit!) and you may feel 100 years older than your actual age.

Let’s move past the “I’m just getting old” excuse, and look at what’s actually happening in your body. In this article, you’ll get a better understanding of what happens while you’re sitting for long periods, how to get short-term relief, and address the root cause for long-term solutions.

What causes hip pain after sitting?

Your posture ultimately reflects the way that you train your muscles to hold your bones and joints together in good alignment. This combination of muscle strength and muscle length on both sides of a joint affects whether or not it is in an “optimal” position.

Sitting places the hips into a flexed position, which changes the length of the hip flexors and the other surrounding hip muscles relative to when you’re standing upright. This seated position affects all sides of the hip joint.

The hip flexors at the front of the hip become shorter, creating an anterior pelvic tilt, resulting in an over-arch in the low back. The glutes and hamstrings, which connect to the back of the hip and pelvis, become stretched out and longer (and not in a good way!).

In this anterior pelvic tilt, your hips move differently in their ball-and-socket joint, leading to an internal rotation of the femur (thigh bone). The adductor and groin muscles, which connect to the inside of the femur and groin, become shorter and tighter. The abductor muscles on the outside of the hip then become longer.

With the amount of sitting that the average human being does on a daily basis, the hip muscles become accustomed to being in this position. As this pattern is repeated over the course of days, weeks, months, and years…your hip muscles will eventually tighten up.

The hip flexors and adductors become short and tight, while the glutes, hamstrings, and abductors become long and tight. When standing up after sitting, the shorter muscles may have difficulty lengthening and the longer muscles may have difficulty in activating.

Essentially, there are 2 simultaneous games of tug of war being played between the front and back sides of the hip and also the inner and outer sides of the hip.

This results in the muscles pulling on the hip joint in an imbalanced fashion, potentially contributing to hip pain when standing up after sitting. This hip pain may be felt in multiple locations, including pain in the front or back of the hip, pain in the groin or on the outside of the hip, and combinations resulting in hip pain felt on several sides of the joint.

Pain in the front of the hip when standing

Pain in the front of the hip when standing after sitting is most likely coming from tightness in the iliopsoas, your body’s main hip flexor that consists of the psoas and iliacus muscles. Both muscles come together where they cross the front of the hip joint and insert at the lesser trochanter of the femur.

Remember, these hip flexor muscles often become tight when sitting and may struggle to fully lengthen when standing if they are still holding tension. This may result in pain in the front of the hip when standing after sitting for an extended period of time due to the vertical pull and compression that a tight iliopsoas places on the hip joint.

Because the psoas muscle originates at and connects to the L1 through L5 vertebrae of the lumbar spine, pain may also be felt in the lower back when going from sitting to standing.

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Pain in the back of the hip when standing

Pain in the back of the hip when standing after sitting may be coming from several different muscles: the glutes, hamstrings, and other deep hip rotators. When the hip flexor muscles on the front side of the hip become short and tighten up, it creates an anterior tilt of the pelvis. The glute and hamstring muscles, which attach to the back of the hip and pelvis, become longer than they want to be. While we often think of long muscles as optimal, these muscles have not lengthened in a healthy, active way. They’ve been yanked into a game of tug-of-war, where the posterior chain muscles (along the back of your body) may also tighten up to prevent further imbalance.

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Tight hamstrings after sitting

Ever get the feeling that your hamstrings are tight after sitting? There’s a good chance they’re involved in the same game of tug-of-war with the tight hip flexors that makes it feel like the hamstrings are short and tight, when they truly are not (they are long and feel tight). The same idea can apply when feeling tightness in your gluteus maximus, especially down closer to your sitting bones.

Similarly, the game of tug-of-war can impact the deeper hip rotators such as the piriformis muscle. This is because the much larger glute muscles, which have been lengthened beyond what is optimal, now have a harder time contracting and have developed weakness due to being overstretched by sitting for long periods.

Because the much smaller piriformis muscle is now required to perform more of the work that the glutes aren’t doing, it can lead to the muscle being overworked, fatigued, and tight. As the sciatic nerve runs beneath this muscle, a tight piriformis may compress the nerve and cause sciatica pain when standing up after sitting.

Pain in the groin when standing

Groin pain when standing after sitting may be caused by tightness in the hip flexors. Remember that the psoas and iliacus muscles insert at the top and inside of the femur (thigh bone) near the groin area. Having tightness here impacts the alignment and function of the hip joint as it moves and may refer pain into the groin region when the hip joint isn’t aligned or moving smoothly.

Pain in the groin when standing can also be coming from tightness in the adductor muscle group, which consists of 5 muscles: the adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, pectineus, and gracilis. Because the adductors originate along the pubis of the pelvis, they can pull on this area and cause pain and discomfort in the groin region.

It is quite possible that your pain is coming from issues with both hip flexors and adductors, as each of these muscles groups tends to become short and tight together, affecting the hip joint from multiple angles.

Pain in the outer hip when standing

Lateral hip pain in the outer hip when standing after sitting may be caused by tightness in the abductor muscle group, which consists of 3 muscles: the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and the tensor fascia latae (or TFL). Each of these muscles connects along the outer surface of the ilium (your pelvic bone) and inserts at or near the greater trochanter (top of your femur/thigh bone).

When chronically tight, these lateral hip muscles create compression on the greater trochanter (top of your thigh bone) and can cause inflammation of the bursae in this area (called trochanteric bursitis or hip bursitis), leading to pain that is felt at the outer hip. Tightness at the outer hip, specifically the TFL muscles, can also cause pain in the IT band, a piece of connective tissue that runs along the outer thigh and down to the knee.

Tips for hip pain relief when standing up after sitting

Here are 3 simple tips to help relieve some pain in your hips (and even your lower back) when going from sitting to standing.

Take more breaks and move around

Being inactive by sitting for longer periods of time makes your muscles “fall asleep” where they end up weakening and tightening as you repeat this day after day over time. Getting up from your couch or chair to move around a little bit helps to get some blood flow and activation into the muscles, keeping them “awake” and feeling better throughout the day.

Stretch your hip muscles regularly

If your hips tend to feel tight all the time and cause you pain when sitting, consider adding in some stretches for your hip muscles into your daily routine. Stretching can help to increase blood flow and circulation to these areas, helping the muscle to lengthen back out and provide some relief for your hips. The lunge stretch is one the best hip flexor stretches we know of and the figure 4 stretch is great for targeting the piriformis.

Use the best posture for sitting at a desk

First things first, make sure you are sitting in an upright posture. This properly activates your core and hip muscles to strengthen them and also support you in this position. From there, adjust the height of your seat by moving it up (you can also sit on a cushion). This opens your hips up a tiny bit to help lengthen your iliopsoas, reducing how much it wants to pull on your hips and spine both while you are seated and also when standing up from sitting. (Sitting with your knees at a 90-degree angle to your body is a myth!) If neither of these options are available to you, another alternative would be to tuck your feet underneath your chair.

Steps to improving your hip pain when standing up after sitting

Step 1 – Discover the root cause of your hip pain

Why choose temporary relief when you can fix the problem!? Muscle tightness and imbalance are at the root of pain. When these kinds of issues exist around the hips, it can cause misalignment of the pelvis as well as restricted movement and range of motion in the hips. If left unresolved over a longer period of time, this can lead to the development of hip pain.

Imbalances and tightness in the muscles can be caused by old injuries, overuse in sports or other activities, repetitive patterns (e.g. sitting), and more. It is likely from a combination of several of these things, but the long-term solution remains the same.

Step 2 – Address the muscle imbalances

Your muscles are what holds your joints together in the proper alignment and helps to create motion of the body. Tightness and imbalances in the muscles around your hips can contribute to aches and pains developing on all sides of the hip joint.

By releasing the tension being held in tight muscles – alongside the proper corrective strengthening and stretching exercises – you can begin to restore better strength-length balance around your hips, improve your alignment, and move with fewer restrictions.

Once tight and contracted, these tight hip flexor muscles rarely release by stretching alone. These muscles release best by applying direct, prolonged (at least 90 seconds) pressure. Some of the muscles along the back of the hip and glutes are easily accessible with the Hip Release Ball or other tool, and you can create a routine to provide pressure to the back of hip.

The iliopsoas muscles (the psoas and the iliacus) require a more specific tool to apply direct pressure. The Hip Hook is the only tool designed for both psoas release and iliacus release, due to the unique angled pressure. It’s like having a physical therapist at home with you, offering manual release therapy to these tight muscles.

Step 3 – Establish a consistent routine

Creating a routine that you can follow consistently is very important. The muscle tension and imbalances that you are working to correct in your body have likely been building up for some time now…likely over the course of YEARS. Therefore, it may take some time to sufficiently retrain the “muscle memory” in the muscles surrounding your hips to have them support you in better alignment.

Working with a personal trainer, physical therapist, or other skilled practitioners to address these issues can help you along the way and support you on your healing journey. You can (and probably should) also put in some work by yourself to accelerate this process — I cannot recommend this enough. Ultimately, you are the one in control of your body each day and must take ownership of what you need to do to improve your hip pain.

Set yourself up for success by having the necessary tools and equipment to make this happen. Using things like a hip flexor release tool, foam rollers, massage therapy balls, exercise bands, and other training equipment may be helpful to have available at home, making it easier (and more convenient) for you to help yourself stay accountable, put in the work consistently, and start making progress that turns into long-lasting results.

October 26, 2021

Your upper half has been slowly descending towards your screen. Have you eaten? Have you moved? By the time you remember you have a body and decide to take a break, you’re rubbing the back of your neck or your shoulders and complaining, “my muscles are so tight!” Or perhaps you’ve noticed that you’re having headaches more often and a nagging pain at the base of your skull.

Unfortunately, this experience is quite common. You may have heard of the terms ‘tech neck’ or ‘nerd neck.’ These are conditions where the body has been inclined towards a forward head posture due to the many activities of modern-day living, such as computer and cell phone use. This unhealthy posture curls the body forward, contributing to rounded shoulders, back of the neck pain, shoulder pain, stiff neck, jaw pain, tension headaches, and migraines.

This article will explain how muscle tension in a few key muscles contributes to your pain and show how direct, prolonged pressure to specific areas is the best way to get relief.

Why are my back of the neck muscles so tight?

That’s a great question! But, before we get into what is causing your tight muscles, let’s get an understanding of what ‘tight’ actually means. Having an accurate understanding of what it means when a muscle is tight will ensure that everyone is on the same page and help you correctly identify the root of your problem and the proper solution.

What is ‘tight’ anyway?

Sometimes, when a person refers to a muscle as tight, they mean that it is ‘sore’ or that they feel a normal stretching sensation when the muscle is being used. Or a person might feel pain or pinching in some muscle and refer to the muscle as tight. Although sometimes a tight muscle can cause pain, in these situations mentioned, ‘tight’ is most likely not an accurate definition of what’s occurring.

There are two situations that more accurately describe a muscle being tight:

• Lack of Motion – When there is a lack of motion in a muscle, the tissue will not fully extend. Say you bend down to touch your toes, and your hands can’t make contact with the floor because the muscle in the back of your legs doesn’t fully extend; that muscle can be correctly called ‘tight.’
• Tension – Also, if a muscle is holding tension, you might feel a knot when you touch it because the muscle is contracted. When a muscle is not in use, it should feel soft, not hard. In this case, it can also be correctly referred to as ‘tight.’

It is important to know which type of tight muscle you have, because the solution is different for each. If you want more motion, you do stretches to elongate the muscle to increase the range of motion. If you have tension, you need pressure. However, your muscle might be motion tight because a muscle knot is impeding its ability. You can use tools such as a massage ball, Hip Hook, or the Nuckle to release tension and train your brain to break the pattern of holding tension in the muscle (more on that a little later).

Knot my problem

Actually, muscle knots are a problem for many people. And if you have pain in the back of your neck, a muscle knot may be the culprit. Let’s discuss what a muscle knot is, what causes it, and the impact it can have on your body.

What is a muscle knot?

You will know if you have a knot in your muscle because, at rest, the spot will feel hard and dense, unlike a healthy relaxed muscle that is soft and supple. This knotted area of tissue can be created due to several factors. But, for the most part, it is made when the muscle becomes contracted (or stays in an active state) for some reason.

As a part of the body’s (brain’s) protective mechanism, muscles sometimes remain engaged, resulting in a knot. It’s as though a switch was turned on, and then the operator went out to lunch. You’re not actively using the muscle, but it’s still in a contracted state. These muscles need a reminder of how to “turn off”.

What causes muscle knots?

There are three main reasons why muscle knots happen: (1) the muscle is being overused and gets stuck in active mode, (2) the muscle is shortened for an extended period, (3) stress/trauma.

Overuse

In today’s society, we perform many actions that have our muscles in static positions for prolonged periods – think using the computer with arms outstretched forward, looking down at a cellphone, driving, or simply sitting in a chair all day. These activities can cause our necks to be stretched forward or down and our shoulders to be rounded.

Shortened Muscles

Muscles do not like to be in a shortened or lengthened state for extended periods. So when a muscle is in a shortened position for a long time, and you try to get it to work hard, it might cramp or form a knot. Ever have pain when you stand up after sitting?

Stress/Trauma

Also, suppose you are dealing with stress or emotional or physical trauma. In these cases, the brain will attempt to preserve your vital organs, including the brain, by forming ‘protective’ knots in the areas closest to the brain (neck/shoulders) and the abdominal cavity (back/hips/chest). This principle also applies to trauma from an accident or surgery, where muscle knots can form to protect the traumatized area.

Effects of muscle knots

When a muscle is compressed, it cuts off the nutrients delivered to the muscle because it constricts the blood flow. This action is detrimental to the health of the overall muscle function as it reduces its ability to repair itself and interferes with the processes that remove toxins. This, in turn, creates a negative cycle that encourages the muscle to remain in a contracted state.

The core issues

Now that we have the basics covered, let’s get down to the mechanics of why you may be experiencing tight muscles in the back of your neck and what you can do about it.

Your primary and secondary core

As mentioned previously, our daily lives have us hunched over computers and other electronic devices that interfere with our bodies’ alignment. Many are aware of the body’s core, or primary core, which encompasses the abdominal cavity, lower back, and hip area, including the importance of keeping the core strong. Having a healthy primary core ensures you have robust nervous system function and proper alignment of the spine and hips.

But did you also know there is a secondary core that is vital to overall health? This secondary core comprises the brain, head, neck, pecs, and shoulders. Sometimes when you are dealing with stress, tension is created in the pec minor muscle. This tension can pull your entire body forward, including your neck and shoulders, misaligning your core, causing pain at the base of the skull. When you have tension in the secondary core, it blocks tension from being released in other parts of the body.

Rooting out tension

So, what can you do to get relief from your pain? You must release the tension in the pec minor and the base of the skull. Releasing the tension in the pec minor will allow your shoulder to relax back. Releasing the tension at the base of the skull will allow your head to be aligned with your spine. This takes the stress from the muscles and lets your bones do the work. When everything is aligned, your muscles can relax, your shoulder blades can relax, and you can experience free range of motion in the shoulder and neck. And when the nerves and the brain stem are not being pulled on, and the muscles are relaxed, your body is in a position that does not result in nerves being pinched in the spine. This restorative state allows the muscle pain that could be contributing to your neck pain to resolve.

How to relieve pain at the base of the skull

The technique you use to relieve your pain makes all the difference in whether you will get lasting results or a temporary fix. There are three main methods that people try on the muscle when seeking to get rid of pain at the base of the skull: stretching, rubbing, or applying pressure.

Stretching, rubbing, or pressure…and the winner is?

We all have muscle tension from time to time for various reasons. Suppose your muscle is at rest and is holding tension. In that case, there is one method that has proven to be superior in providing relief.

• Stretching – When you stretch a muscle, you take it from its resting place and allow it to get longer. The brain enables the muscle to stretch longer if it feels it is safe to do so. Stretching is good for training the brain to allow you to use your full range of motion, increasing circulation, and telling the muscle how to repair itself after exercise. However, if a muscle is holding tension (contracted), stretching might release it somewhat, but when you revert to a resting state, the tightness is still there.
• Rubbing – If you rub a muscle that is holding tension, it may relax a bit because you’re increasing the muscle’s flexibility. You’re also increasing circulation, but after some time, it will revert to being tight again. Rubbing or massage may feel good, especially if the muscle is tight/sore, and it does have some benefit, but it doesn’t teach the muscle to relax.
• Pressure – The BEST way to get muscles to relax is by applying prolonged pressure. Initially, using pressure will cause pain as the muscle is sore. However, after a brief period of applied pressure, the muscle will start to relax and lead to long-term relief. When seeking to relieve tension at the base of the skull, focus pressure on the suboccipitals (a group of muscles in front of the occipital bone) for a prolonged period of at least 90 seconds.

Tight chest muscles and rounded shoulders can cause neck pain

Another cause of neck pain could be a muscle knot in your upper trap. But before you go pressing or rubbing the area, you must address the root cause, which is the pec minor and muscles at the base of the skull. These muscles, which are connected to the spine, underneath the upper traps, must be released first.

So, you may be thinking, “but I have neck pain, why do I need to fix the muscles in my chest or at the base of my skull?” Remember what we learned about the secondary core and how tension can be created in this area by pulling on the brain stem and causing pinched nerves? To relieve the pain in your neck, you must align your body by releasing these muscles first.

Easy on the trigger

It may seem strange that you have a pain in your neck that warrants releasing tension in the chest. But some muscle knots are triggers. This means that you can press a specific spot and feel pain somewhere else. For example, you might press in your shoulder area and feel pain in your neck. In this case, the issue is not really with your neck; it’s with the muscles in the shoulder.

Chest stretches

In general, stretching is useful for muscle health. It helps to increase circulation and make the muscles more pliable. However, when it comes to muscle knots, it does not provide sustained relief. You will still need to apply prolonged pressure to the muscle to alleviate your pain and teach the brain to break the pattern of holding tension in the muscle. Read more about why chest stretches aren’t enough.

Neck stretches for pain

Similarly, doing stretches to soothe pain in your neck is not effective either. Again, this method may provide temporary relief, but the muscle will revert to its contracted state, causing pain. Check out this article to learn more about why neck stretches aren’t enough.

A rotated pelvis may be causing neck and shoulder pain

As you can see, there can be multiple factors that contribute to your neck and shoulder pain, even misalignment of your pelvis! If you’ve heard that little tune – “the hip bone’s connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bone’s connected to the knee bone…” it is not only true that the bones are connected, but because they are connected, the muscles that support them all affect one another.

A rotated pelvis may be caused by tight hip flexors (primary core). This rotated pelvis shifts the position of the hip, changing the way the ball fits into the hip socket. This, in turn, changes the trajectory of the leg and the position of the spine. Once this occurs, the nerves can become irritated, and pain can work its way up the spine to the neck and shoulders (secondary core).

How to relax tight neck and shoulder muscles

As previously mentioned, massaging and stretching are helpful techniques, especially for improving blood flow to the muscle. But the best method for releasing tension in your tight neck and shoulder muscles is through direct, prolonged pressure. Specifically, this approach involves applying sustained pressure without movement.

The essential takeaway is that prolonged pressure is the best way to relieve muscle tension. However, to fully leverage this method on your own, you need a tool to provide specific angular pressure to reach and release these spots. And because you need to apply prolonged pressure, you want something that isn’t going to slide or roll, that can handle pressure, adapt to your body, and isolate these small yet mighty muscles. We recommend the Nuckle; a PT designed it to release, relax, and realign the neck and shoulders. With three widths and six angles, it can adjust to every body type and apply clinically effective, specific pressure to relax tight muscles and reduce pain.

FAQs about tech neck and forward head posture

Why is the back of the neck tight?

When the shoulders round or hunch forward, the whole body adjusts to try and stay upright. Your chin juts forward and head tilts up, shortening and tightening the muscles at the base of your skull.

How do I fix nerd neck?

Tension in the subocciptal muscles (base of the skull) and pec minor muscles (chest) are at the root of nerd neck. Applying prolonged pressure for at least 30 – 90 seconds to these muscles will help to train the brain to release the tension. As a result, the muscles will relax, the nerves will calm, and the body will realign.

How to correct forward head posture?

To fix forward head posture, releasing tension in the pec minor muscles and muscles at the base of the skull by using a tool (or a practitioner’s hands) to apply direct, prolonged pressure to these muscles.

According to the United States National Center for Biotechnology, National Library of Medicine Information, back pain affects nearly 70% of the population, and about 40% of people experience sciatic pain at some point during their life. Sciatica is a type of nerve pain typically caused by an injury or irritation of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve originates in your buttocks and gluteal area and is the longest and thickest nerve in the human body.

Often, tension in a few key muscles is a significant cause or contributing factor of sciatica, lower back pain, and hip pain. Therapists have found that the best way to relieve muscle tension in these areas is by addressing the muscles with direct, prolonged pressure and stretching exercises.

The importance of piriformis muscle stretches

The piriformis muscle is often a significant contributor to hip, back and leg pain. The piriformis muscle is located in the deep muscular area near the buttocks and attached to the outer part of the hip, and the sacrum, a part of the spine found in the lower back region. Tightness in this muscle is common and can lead to piriformis syndrome, a medical condition that causes sciatica symptoms.

Like any muscle in the body, stretching is essential for optimum performance, and a tight piriformis muscle can cause pain in the sacrum, lower back, and legs. Properly stretching the piriformis muscle will provide several health benefits and often provides immediate relief for sciatica pain. In addition, when adequately stretched, the piriformis muscle will have a better range of motion and improve the functioning of the hip joint and lower back.

Doctors, therapists, and other experts may recommend piriformis muscle stretches for your condition as a way of stretching away your sciatic nerve pain. Athletes and workout enthusiasts also use piriformis muscle stretches to warm up before exercising to improve performance and reduce the chance of injury. There are several piriformis muscle stretches that can help relieve lower back pain and sciatica and help prevent injuries before exercise.

Figure four stretch

The figure four stretch can be done in two ways:

• Sitting on the edge of your chair, rest your ankle on the knee of your opposite leg. Then, place and hold gentle pressure on the elevated knee for 30 seconds, and switch legs.
• Lying on the ground with your knees bent and feet on the ground, place one ankle over the knee of the other leg, connect your hands behind the hamstring of that leg, and gently pull the figure four towards your belly, hold for 30 seconds, and repeat with the other side.

Crossover stretch

Lying flat on your back, place the affected leg’s foot on the floor outside your opposite knee. Then, using your hand or a towel, pull the knee of the bent leg across the body’s midline until you feel the stretch. Hold the position for 30 seconds before slowly returning to your starting position. After a short rest, repeat the exercise, trying to complete three sets.

Hip flexor stretch

Hip flexors are the muscle group near the top of your thighs, including the iliacus and psoas, that enable you to walk, bend, and swivel your hips. The kneeling hip flexor stretch is a simple and effective stretch for these muscles. First, place your left knee on the floor, your right foot flat on the floor in front of you, and with your back straight, place your hands on your right knee. Then, with your left knee pressed to the floor, lean forward into your right hip while squeezing the muscles in your left buttocks. Hold for about 30 seconds and repeat for the other side.

Windshield wiper stretch

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor about two feet apart. Keeping your shoulder blades on the floor, gently let your knees fall slowly to the right, allowing your feet to flex. You will feel an internal hip stretch on the left leg and an external hip stretch on the right. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Knee to chest stretch

The knee to chest stretch is passive, so keep your legs and hips as relaxed as possible. Lying on your back with your feet on the floor, raise one knee and hold your lower leg with your hands. Gently pull your knee towards your chest while relaxing your legs, pelvis, and lower back. Hold for a few seconds, return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg. Perform the stretch 10 to 15 times once or twice a day.

Hip flexor release, piriformis release, and deep hip rotator release

When the piriformis muscle, hip flexor muscle group, and other deep hip rotator muscles are injured, irritated, or tight, they can place pressure on the sciatic nerve and cause hip, back, and leg pain. While various factors can cause tightness of the flexor muscles, it is often due to muscle contraction. For instance, if you sit in the same position for hours every day or habitually cross your legs in the same way, the flexor muscles get tight and contract over time.

When your muscles contract, they typically won’t respond the way you would like them to. They will often want to return to the position they have become accustomed to, which can inhibit mobility and cause you pain. While stretching these muscles is typically involved in physical therapy for sciatica, it is often necessary to first relax or release the piriformis muscle, the hip flexors muscle group, and deep hip rotator muscles.

The most effective way to release tension in the area surrounding the piriformis, iliacus, and psoas muscles is by applying direct, prolonged pressure to the affected area.

Prolonged direct pressure with the Hip Release Ball can help relax the muscles and surrounding connective tissue. Not only does this method usually provide immediate relief for sciatica pain, but it also enables the muscles to relax so that you can begin to address the underlying issues through stretching and exercise.

It is also critical to address both the front and back of the hips, as the hip flexors must be free of tension for you to get relief. Because of their location, releasing tension in the psoas and iliacus muscles can be challenging. The Hip Hook is the first product designed to address this issue specifically.

The Hip Hook was created to eliminate tightness and tension at your core. By addressing your pain and discomfort at the root cause, the Hip Hook will quickly relieve pain caused by prolonged sitting, traveling, or overuse of the hip flexors. In addition, the Hip Hook will provide long-term relief and enable you to regain your mobility.

For the best results in keeping your body strong, healthy, and pain-free: combine stretching with deep muscle release.

Frequently asked questions about piriformis stretches

How do I relax my piriformis muscle?

Different ways to try to relax your piriformis muscle include performing piriformis stretches, massaging the piriformis, or by applying direct pressure to the muscle for a prolonged period of time (at least 30-90 seconds). It is important to remember to take deep and relaxing breaths when using any of these techniques for the best and most effective results.

What is the fastest way to fix piriformis syndrome?

If you have piriformis syndrome, fixing the issue may take some time. However, with a consistent approach of stretching, self-massage, muscle release, and corrective exercises you can make faster improvements. It may also be wise to address muscle tightness in other surrounding areas of your hips, such as the psoas, iliacus, and other deep hip rotator muscles.

What causes a tight piriformis muscle?

Perhaps the most common reason for the piriformis muscle to be tight is the excessive amount of sitting we do each day. Sitting places the hip flexor muscles on the front side of the hip into a shortened position, where they become tight and inhibit the ability for the glutes and other hip muscles to activate and function properly. This has a chain reaction effect where many of the hip rotator muscles, such as the piriformis, become tight as they are forced to work harder to help stabilize the back side of the hip.

How do I release a tight piriformis muscle?

Releasing muscle tension in the piriformis muscle requires the application of direct and prolonged pressure to the muscle (for at least 30-90 seconds). Find a tight spot in the muscle and hold it there, maintaining the pressure and making sure to take deep breaths throughout the course of the 30-90 seconds (or more) to help get the muscle to release and let go.

Pregnancy is a beautiful time to get to know your body as you prepare to bring new life into the world. But, with that joy and happiness can come some challenges for many women, such as sciatica pain and hip pain from pregnancy.

Whether it is your first or third pregnancy, there’s no doubt that you will experience some new changes in your body. Some of these changes will be exciting, especially if it is your first baby. But other changes, like sciatica nerve pain or hip pain during pregnancy, can distract from the experience.

Hip pain and sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy are common symptoms during your third trimester. The symptoms are generally felt within a month or so of your due date. However, depending on your underlying health condition and body shape, low back and hip pain in pregnancy can occur earlier.

You may also feel hip pain from different movements during the day or from sleeping on your side during pregnancy. Each pregnancy is unique, so it’s important to work with a professional to identify the pain you’re feeling, understand its potential causes, and seek natural remedies.

In the moment, it might feel like there’s nothing you can do about these aches and pains – or that they’re just a part of becoming a mother. But they don’t have to be. There are ways that you can relieve and reduce your low back and hip pain during pregnancy. Seriously!

So, how do you ease hip pain from pregnancy? First, let’s examine what’s happening in your body to create back or hip pain in pregnancy – and then, I’ll give you some tools to relieve it.

Why is hip pain during pregnancy so common?

A woman’s body does some pretty amazing things during pregnancy to provide for their new baby’s arrival in the world. One of those things is the change in connective tissue to allow more flexibility in the pelvic region.

As you approach your due date, joints and ligaments in your abdomen and around your pelvis will begin to loosen. This is because your body starts to release hormones, including relaxin. These hormones help your body to become flexible enough to accommodate a growing baby – and for the birth itself.

If your body didn’t adapt like this, the baby’s movement through the birth canal would be much more difficult. But hormones aren’t the only thing that change.

As you know, with a baby in your belly, your weight changes too. The additional weight of the baby in an isolated area of your body adds excess pressure to your hips, muscles, and lower back. This change in weight distribution can also change your posture when pregnant.

Both your posture and the overall weight carried in your abdomen influence the strain on your hips while you’re performing even normal, day-to-day tasks. As a result, your muscles may try to overcompensate and become strained as well. This extra strain on your pelvis can cause hip pain during pregnancy, as well as other unwanted symptoms.

What causes sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy?

With all the changes happening in your pelvic region – and depending on where your baby sits inside of you – lower back pain is common during pregnancy. As your hips shift with hormone changes, and your baby’s weight increases, extra pressure is often applied to your sciatic nerve.

Your sciatic nerves run from your lower back to your feet. Sciatic nerve pain in pregnancy (sciatica) occurs due to the enlargement of your uterus as the baby grows. Sciatica puts pressure on the nerves, causing pain, numbness, or tingling sensations in the lower back, hips, buttocks, or thighs. People often report a tingling sensation or pain down one side of their body or down one leg.

Many pregnant women experience sciatica, but the severity and stages in which it presents will vary.

As your pregnancy progresses, and your belly and breasts grow, your center of gravity shifts forward. This can put extra weight on different areas of your pelvis and stretch your lordotic curve. As you get closer to your due date, you may notice that sciatica pain decreases or changes. This is usually because the baby is shifting position to prepare for birth.

Although sciatica and hip pain in pregnancy are common, you should still notify your doctor that it is occurring. Sciatica can be caused by things other than pregnancy and should be addressed. There are also some options that may help soothe the pain you are feeling and reduce sciatica symptoms.

How to reduce sciatica and hip pain during pregnancy

All of the bodily changes during pregnancy can add stress to your bones and nerves, but they can also cause many of your pelvic muscles to work overtime. Since your body is literally changing its anatomy to give birth, muscles, bones, and joints are enduring more stress.

Large muscles like your iliopsoas (also known as your hip flexors), which are in charge of basic leg movement and core stabilization, often take the brunt of the damage.

Your hip flexor muscles may begin to play tug of war with your piriformis muscle. This muscle is located in the buttock region. Irritation of the piriformis muscle is also directly related to sciatic nerve pain in pregnancy.

Some hip flexor stretches can loosen your hip area, but when your hip is already becoming loose, flexibility often isn’t the leading cause of your hip pain in pregnancy. While stretching the glutes and your piriformis muscle can still provide relief from sciatic pain during pregnancy, the relief is often short-term.

Stretching alone will only get you so far. And overstretching can be more damaging.

Plus, stretching can become increasingly difficult as your baby bump grows bigger. So, a combination of exercise, stretching, and targeted muscle release is ideal in treating hip pain from pregnancy.

Five stretches to relieve hip and back pain during pregnancy

Although you may be limited for movement as you approach your due date, there are still some stretches you can do to keep your sciatica and hip pain during pregnancy to a minimum.

A few tips before you start stretching include warming up your muscles a bit, being careful not to bounce, and taking it easy.

Listen to your body, and if it hurts, always stop.

Go for a short walk before you stretch to get your blood moving in your muscles first.

The hormone I mentioned earlier, relaxin, is already loosening your ligaments, so you may notice that you’re more flexible than you’ve been before. This does not mean that you should push it. Because of your pelvis’s added flexibility, it is easy to overdo a stretch and injure your body.

Many of the best stretches to do during pregnancy come from practicing yoga. If you can, consider attending some prenatal yoga classes in your area. This will give you a chance to learn from a professional, and ensure that the body positions are safe during pregnancy.

Here are my top five yoga poses to help relieve hip pain from pregnancy:

1. Modified child’s pose

You may be able to fully perform child’s pose early in the pregnancy, but as the third trimester rolls around, your belly may be too big. Having an exercise ball or a chair in front of you can help.

Kneel in front of the ball. Rest your hands on the ball in front of you, and roll it forward until you feel a stretch in your lower back. Be careful not to roll too fast or too far. You are seeking a gentle stretch that should feel immediately good. If it is uncomfortable, try rolling back a bit toward your body.

2. Modified camel pose

Camel pose can be a great chest opener, but it can also stretch your lower back. Because of the added weight in your belly, you may want a blanket, or a yoga mat folded up on the floor to kneel on as you do this stretch.

Kneel with your legs about hip-width distance apart, your feet flexed behind you, and your toes on the ground. With your hands on your lower back, begin to lean backward, opening your chest. To avoid overstretching, keep your head and neck supported (don’t let your head fall back, you should be looking slightly up or at the ceiling).

If that is comfortable, you can begin to move your hands to your buttocks and down to your back thighs. This is often enough of a stretch for most women. But if you were an avid yogi before pregnancy, you can also reach your hands back to rest on your heels while looking up at the ceiling.

3. Half pigeon

Half pigeon is an excellent stretch for your piriformis muscle, which irritates your sciatic nerve if too tight. However, it can also be a good way to injure your muscles.

So, take this one slow. If it is too much, consider doing a different version of this, but on your back.

From kneeling, bring one knee forward and slightly out from your hip. Extend your back leg behind you, keep it straight, and point your toes. Balance yourself by keeping your hands down on the floor by your side.

Try to keep the front leg’s shin parallel to your hips as you do this. Once you feel your hips are balanced, you can sit deeper into the stretch and even lean slightly forward. Keep your hips square to the ground and keep a slight arch in your back.

If you have to sacrifice your form to lean forward, keep your torso upright and use yoga blocks on either side of your body for extra support. You will feel this stretch in the front of your hips, where your iliopsoas muscles are.

4. Butterfly

A classic hip-opening stretch, the butterfly can help with hip pain from pregnancy, and is easy to do in every trimester.

Sit with your back straight and legs straight in front of you. Grab one leg by your foot (you may need to bend your knee) and bring it in towards your groin until it is comfortable.

Do the same for the other side, but now bring your feet to touch. Bring your feet in as close as you can to your groin before feeling any tightness or discomfort – and hold.

If you don’t feel a stretch, you can lean slightly forward or even apply slight pressure to your thighs.

5. Cat-cow

The final stretch for decreasing hip pain during pregnancy is the cat-cow stretch. To do this stretch, go to your hands and knees. Keep your knees hip-distance apart and your hands shoulder-distance apart.

Slowly drop your back to release your belly towards the floor while lifting your head up. Then reverse your motion to arch your back up, like a cat, and drop your head to the ground.

Perform this motion as many times as is comfortable, as often as you want.

Muscle release for sciatica pain during pregnancy

Stretching can be an effective and very beneficial practice during pregnancy. However, it often does not fully get rid of sciatica pain or hip pain from pregnancy.

Lower back stretches may relieve some pressure from the sciatica nerve, but as your iliopsoas and piriformis muscles play tug of war back and forth, pressure on the nerve will continue.

One of the best ways to relieve this pain is to use a muscle release ball. The Hip Release Ball is the right size and density to perform a full release of the piriformis muscle that is causing sciatica pain.

To do this, lay on your back and place the ball on the soft spot of your buttock next to your tailbone. This is the area the piriformis muscle is located. You can lay flat with your legs out, or you can pull one leg in and hold the knee for a deeper release.

Depending on your trimester, you may also be able to use this release ball on your iliopsoas muscles. However, to do this, you need to be able to lay on your stomach. It’s important to talk to your doctor before applying pressure to the front of your stomach. And it may not always be an option available to you.

The good news is that releasing the back of the hip will help the front of the hip. If one side is loosened, their tug of war with each other lightens up, and the iliopsoas will pull less as well.

With a combination of gentle stretching, exercise, and the use of muscle release tools such as a hip flexor release ball, you should be able to find relief from hip pain during pregnancy. After all, you want to enjoy this amazing time in your life!

If your hip pain from pregnancy persists, it could be worth contacting a medical professional or physical therapist for a more tailored hip pain relief treatment plan.

At the end of the day, hip pain during pregnancy isn’t something you just have to deal with. And, once you learn how to manage your pain, you can get back to focusing on the things that matter – like bringing your beautiful little one into the world.

Frequently asked questions about sciatic nerve and hip pain during pregnancy

What causes sciatic nerve pain and hip pain during pregnancy?

The combination of hormonal, postural, and weight changes can shift your center of gravity to create extra pressure on the sciatic nerve while your hip flexors strain to stabilize your pelvis.

How can I relieve hip pain during pregnancy?

Lower back stretches may relieve some pressure from the sciatic nerve, while targeted pressure on gluteal muscles (specifically the piriformis), can be extremely effective. A mix of exercise, stretching, and targeted muscle release with a muscle release ball is ideal in treating hip pain from pregnancy.

The simple truth: adopting a daily ten-minute routine of gentle stretching and targeted muscle release can relieve pain and gift you an opportunity to enjoy your pregnancy.

If you’re a golfer, you know your hips are important for your form and swing. Hip pain when golfing may throw your game off, or even worse, require you to take time off from the course. Learn

If you’re a golfer, you know your hips are important for your form and swing. Golf hip pain or lack of motion may throw your game off, or even worse, require you to take time off from the course.

So, what should you do when you start to feel hip pain while you golf?

Or better, how can you prevent the issue from worsening the moment you start to feel hip tightness or tension?

While we often hear about pain in golfers’ wrists, elbows, or backs, there are many common reasons why golfers experience hip pain during and after golfing. Although we will focus mostly on hip pain and tightness here, issues in the hips are related to back pain, SI (sacroiliac pain), and knee pain. Determining the cause of golf hip pain can not only improve your swing but can help resolve pain all over the body.

Once you figure out the why, the solution is simple and you will be well on your way to treating it — and even preventing future aches further down the line.

How your golf hip turn (rotation) can cause hip flexor tension

You’ve probably heard “it’s all in the hips” when it comes to the perfect golf swing.

But while a big golf hip turn is essential to help you get par, any repetitive motion can be challenging for your muscles to endure. And, if you have developed poor mechanics or tension in the hip flexors, that hip rotation will be even more taxing for your body.

Even as a low-impact sport, golf requires precision, stability, and targeted muscle use – particularly in your hip region. The muscles that help you rotate your hips while teeing off are located mostly in the back of your hip, mainly your piriformis and glute. Then there is a group of deep hip rotators that do the fine control of rotation.

Finally, the iliopsoas muscles or, more commonly, your hip flexors, have a double job. They must stabilize your spine, pelvis, and hip region while simultaneously allowing controlled motion in the hip joint.

The iliopsoas is a pair of large muscles (the psoas and iliacus) that sit side by side on each leg, running from your spine to your pelvis to your inner thigh. They are essential for walking, running, squatting, sitting, twisting your hips and golfing – anything you do, really.

But because they also help you bend forward at the hips and help hold you there, they are hidden under the surface doing a major load of the work. Add in the fact that these hip flexors can get overworked and feel tight after prolonged sitting, driving, running and cycling.

So, if you put the big picture of your life together, these sidekicks are likely to protest at some point.

In golf specifically, you are asking your muscles to repeatedly do one swift movement while simultaneously stabilizing your body. Over time, and without a proper release, the muscle complex may experience tension on and off the golf course.

They will begin to pull on your pelvic bone, causing a twisted core.

Your core is the foundation of your entire body.

So, any twist or weakness can contribute to problems throughout your body – such as low back pain, hip flexor pain, knee pain, and more. In addition, tightness in the hip flexors can significantly impact your range of motion in your hip. And limited hip rotation can lead to more strain on the back.

If the iliopsoas is tight while golfing, it can make that muscle weak and set the stage for injury in the back, hips, or tailbone region. Those muscles are pretty dang important for a healthy golf body!

Whether you’re an avid golfer, occasionally hit the green for just 9 holes, or spend your weekends at the driving range, you’re requiring your iliopsoas to work overtime. Though the pivot motion in your hip during golf is more natural than those we might do in other sports or activities, the fact that you are repeatedly activating your iliopsoas over long periods of time can fatigue your muscles.

Common causes of hip pain after golf

First, before taking any action to reduce or treat any hip flexor tension, it’s important to get a proper diagnosis on the root cause of your golf hip pain. As a professional physical therapist, I often find my golfers are suffering from a fatigued iliacus or psoas muscle that refuses to release its grip on the pelvic bone and spine.

The reason hip flexors are such a big deal for golfers is that those two muscles affect the entire alignment of the body.

When they are tight, they pull on the pelvic bone and spine, affecting the mobility of the spine, making it so the hip ball doesn’t fit into the socket, limiting internal rotation at the hip, changing the alignment of the knee and kneecap. And decreasing the overall motion in your spine and lower body can impact your swing.

In addition, this poor alignment makes the muscles around the hip and spine weaker because they are not at their proper length, easily setting the stage for injury.

The fact is, you may not have developed hip tightness from golf, although that is quite common.

But your golf hobby may be causing that hip tightness to become more apparent.

Hip flexor tension is so common in our world full of stress, sitting in desks, and long commutes. Tension that may have developed due to your daily life could be trickling into your golf game without you even knowing it.

Hip pain can have different severity levels, and may even require medical treatment.

I’ll address some of the common hip issues that golfers suffer from here. If you think you may be suffering from any of these, it’s wise to seek out the advice of a professional and/or invest in an at-home solution, such as the Hip Hook to help keep your iliopsoas muscles relaxed and happy.

Muscle Strain

If you experience golf hip pain, the most common culprit is muscle strain. A muscle strain is when a muscle has a hard time doing what is asked of it and ends up with a micro tear in the belly of the muscle itself.

A strained muscle often holds tension as a way of protecting itself. That’s why you end up with tight and painful muscles when they are strained.

During a golf swing – due to the hinging forward at the hips and rotation with the swing – many golfers complain of pain or tension in the front or back of their hips, in the groin region, or along the outside of their hips.

This could be multiple things, ranging from a tight iliopsoas muscle to a strain or tear.

Pain in the front of the hip or groin is often linked to the iliopsoas or tensor fasciae latae (TFL) muscles. The TFL muscles internally rotate your hips and work alongside the iliopsoas. Both of these muscles are stinkers and are often left unaddressed when working on the hips.

Pain near the back of the hip can be the glutes, hamstrings, or even the psoas and iliacus where they attach to the spine and pelvic bones.

Sometimes people will feel pain on the iliac crest. This part of your hip is often confused with your lower back because it sits up so high. However, it can be strained when the iliacus and psoas muscles end up pulling tightly on your pelvic bone. This can cause an unnatural rotation or forward tilt of your pelvic bone, resulting in back and iliac crest pain.

The iliopsoas pair is responsible for both rotation and stabilization in the hips. When muscles become tight or overused, they become weak. So, you may feel like your muscles are weak or that you have poor balance when, in reality, the muscles are being overused or holding tension. Stiffness and hip flexor tension could be your first signs this is happening.

I see this over and over again. And, most often, a simple release of the tension in the iliacus muscle results in immediate strength gains.

Put simply, tight muscles are not working at their best. (And they’re pissed.)

In addition, tension in the hip flexors affects the rest of the hip and body, making other muscles weak. A prime example is the back muscles or glutes and hamstrings. These muscles are not at their ideal length when the hip flexors are pulling on the pelvis and spine. Muscles that are not at their ideal length become weak and when asked to do a tough task, they are much more likely to not be up for that challenge and become strained.

Although the mechanics of this area of the body seems complex, it’s actually quite simple. If your hip flexors (the ones that hold it all together, connecting your upper body to your lower body) are happy, the rest of the hip region is happy.

Tension in the hip flexors can result from golf, get worse with daily activities, and affect your swing, setting the stage for strain to occur in this region. But, when you address the cause (tight hip flexors), the rest of the hip has a chance to perform at it’s best.

Hip bursitis

Beyond muscle strain or tension, many golfers develop bursitis in one or both of their hips. Hip bursitis in golf is more common in your dominant (back) hip when swinging your golf clubs.

Hip bursitis, or trochanteric bursitis, affects the outer area of your upper leg and hip. The greater trochanter is a part of the femur (leg bone) that sticks out on the outside of your hip so that muscles can attach to the bone there.

All of the muscles that attach there are hip rotators.

The pain arises from the inflammation of the bursa in this location. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that is designed to protect your tendons and ligaments from excessive friction. Overuse or uneven use from side to side – such as when you rotate your hips to swing a golf club – can inflame the bursa.

As you can imagine, a tight hip flexor can be involved in the development of hip bursitis. Tension in the iliacus or psoas creates tension in muscles like the TFL, gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, piriformis, and other deep hip rotators like the obturator internus.

And guess where all of these muscles attach?

Yup, the greater trochanter where that bursa lives.

This tension creates a perfect opportunity for irritation of that bursa to develop. Since the hip rotator muscles are active as you rotate your hips during your golf swing, it’s not hard to imagine an irritation developing.

Depending on the severity, hip bursitis from golf could cause pain or soreness that starts in the hip, and travels down your thigh to your knee area. This is because the IT band (iliotibial band) also attaches at the greater trochanter and makes its way to the knee.

Unlike muscles, the IT band is connective tissue and is an innocent bystander in the mix. And, although it’s trendy to roll out your IT band, connective tissue doesn’t like to be rubbed or stretched.

The real source of irritation to the IT band that goes from the outside of your hip to your knee is coming from those muscles in your hip and ultimately from a tight hip flexor.

You may not feel pain directly while golfing. In fact, the pain can be amplified when you rest, and even make it hard to sleep on your side.

Hip tendonitis

Hip tendonitis is another common reason for golf hip pain. The primary difference between hip tendonitis and hip bursitis from golf is that tendonitis impacts the tendons, not your bursa.

Now, remember how I said your iliopsoas muscles, or your hip flexors, are made up of the iliacus and the psoas muscles, which run from your pelvis to your thigh?

Well, your iliopsoas tendon connects these inner hip muscles to your femur, or thighbone.

And, when your iliacus and psoas muscles become fatigued or tight, it makes your tendons more vulnerable. Your tendons begin to take on more stress than they are designed to tolerate.

This chronic stress could cause a dull ache, clicking, or severe enough pain to make even daily activities like putting your socks on difficult. Iliopsoas tendonitis shows up as pain in the inner groin.

Since your iliopsoas muscles and tendons are used so often in daily life, overuse during an activity like golf can cause discomfort in totally unrelated activities.

Arthritis

Hip arthritis or osteoarthritis is a progressive disorder that usually starts small and grows in intensity. While there are so many variations of arthritis – and it’s important to properly identify the specific type you may be suffering from – they all boil down to the same thing: joint inflammation.

Hip joint inflammation occurs when your cartilage tissue has been broken down from overuse or aging. It then can create your bones to sit in your joint socket unnaturally, even rubbing against each other.

You see, the cartilage in any of your joints acts as a barrier and cushion for your bones to glide smoothly on each other. When your cartilage is damaged or weakened, that friction is no longer dispersed and movements directly impact the joint instead, causing inflammation.

You can develop osteoarthritis due to genetics, injury, or malformation of your joints. And, while your cartilage will naturally break down over time, repetitive movements – such as a golf hip turn, can speed up this normal process.

As such, arthritis is a common cause of golf hip pain, but it can be prevented.

One of the reasons hip arthritis develops is due to the hip joints not being aligned properly.

When a muscle is holding tension around the hip, it subtly changes the way the joint aligns and creates more grinding. Muscle tension around a joint also compresses a joint, contributing to more pressure on the joint surfaces. Tension in the iliacus and psoas is a major cause of the phenomenon and is one of many reasons to keep that iliacus and psoas relaxed!

Sciatica Pain

My clients often ask me, “Can I golf with sciatica pain?”  

Fortunately, sciatica pain doesn’t mean you need to retire your clubs early. Once the root cause of sciatica pain is determined, it can be solved.

Sciatica pain can often present in the lower back, but spread to the hips and can even travel to the outside of the foot. Pain will usually be isolated to one leg, often your back leg while golfing, and a numbness or tingling sensation may occur as well.

A herniated disk or tension in the piriformis muscle deep in your hip is typically what is responsible for pressure on the sciatica nerve. Because tension in the iliacus is playing tug of war with the piriformis, this tension could be at the source of why the piriformis is chronically tight and, in turn, irritating the sciatic nerve.

Since the game you love involves intense trunk and hip movement, this can be tricky.

Some golfers will opt to wear a back brace, but this doesn’t treat the problem, just the symptoms.

Another solution is to ensure that you maintain proper form and have released your iliacus muscle with a tool such as the Hip Hook prior to golfing. This ensures that your muscles are not causing an unnatural twist in your core, putting added pressure on your sciatica nerve.

4 treatments for golf hip pain

While hip pain may arise from golfing, it doesn’t mean it needs to become your new normal. Golf pain can be managed and often prevented in a number of ways.

1. Rest and recovery

Rest and recovery is the age-old remedy for hip flexor pain, injury, and inflammation. Using the RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) method is an excellent way to manage an injury, especially hip bursitis from golf.

To ensure your body has time to recuperate and recover between golf games, space out the days you play. You can also choose to play shorter courses or fewer holes during sessions.

It may seem strange that you’d need to work in recovery time for golf, especially since it isn’t a high-intensity exercise. Still, you use the same muscles repeatedly as you swing and make your golf hip turn. Allowing proper recovery time is important for managing, and avoiding, golf hip pain.

Gentle stretching to the muscles around the hip during your recovery period lets the area know you will take care of it after all you ask of it during your game.

2. Strength exercises

One of the best ways to protect your hip from injury, no matter the sport, is to practice cross-training exercises and focus on strengthening and stabilizing your hip muscles and your core.

If you are already injured, I advise seeking the help of a physical therapist during this process.

Part of strengthening your hip muscles and the surrounding muscles, like your glutes and abs, is relieving tension and maintaining a healthy range of motion.

This may look a little different for each person, but generally most people benefit from gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and transverse abdominis strengthening. Box squats, clamshells, and planks are the ticket.

Rather than thinking about heavy weights or fast movements, focus on slowing down, maintaining proper form, engaging your core, and stabilizing your body during the movement.

Swinging a golf club requires you to exhibit control of your gluteal and all of the other hip muscles. Without proper control and strength of these muscles, it will be difficult to control the force pivoting in those hips with your swing.

When working on hip strength for a golf hip turn, don’t forget your core muscles, either. The transverse abdominis gets challenged during plank. It’s job is to allow for stability and protection to your spine with all movements, including your swing. Full crunches, boat pose, or movements that focus on your hip flexors may help you build a strong core but can overuse your already tight and fatigued iliopsoas muscles.

Therefore, it may be better to initiate those only after you know the muscles are relaxed and happy.

3. Proper form and warm-ups

Many professional golfers and amateur weekend players will be injured from golfing at least once in their lifetime. Most of the time, their injuries can be explained by looking at their golf swings.

While fixing bad habits with your golf swing may require a coach or trainer, it doesn’t mean your hip pain could have a fairly simple solution. It can also help to perform a few stretches and rotational movements to get your hips and shoulders opened up before the first tee-off.

A great pre-golf game warm-up exercise to hone a better golf swing is the parallel club swing. You’ll hold one club in each hand and stand in a golf stance. As you begin to swing the clubs from left to right, they should remain parallel.

When performing a parallel golf swing, make sure your trunk and hip rotation are equal. You should also keep your abdominal muscles and back/shoulder muscles tight, and your spine nice and tall as you swing. If the clubs are not parallel as you rotate, your body alignment is off.

In addition to perfecting your form, another option to consider here is to swing in the opposite direction. This can be an impactful change for your hip flexor pain, and doesn’t need to change your golf game at all. That’s because you don’t have to actually strike a ball.

Simply replicate your swing in the opposite direction.

Remember that your joints and muscles have made millions of right or left sided swings, and almost none in the other direction. This creates an incredibly strong imbalance in your iliopsoas muscles that you could potentially take with you once you’re off the green.

Focus on your form before your game starts to give your body some much-needed muscle memory. Eventually, you won’t have to think as hard about your golf swing, because you’ll know your form is perfect. And, once you effectively release the iliacus, and posterior muscles locking the pelvis in a torqued position, start evening out your tissues with a swing in the opposite direction.

4. Massage and muscle release

My final tip (and arguably the most important) to ease golf hip pain is to get a professional sports massage or use a tool such as the Hip Hook to release your tight iliacus and psoas muscles.

If you are new to the Hip Hook, it’s a simple tool that you can use to find the exact location of the psoas and iliacus where they connect to your pelvic bone. Since these are inner hip muscles, this is something that can be very difficult to do on your own or with a normal massage. It’s a missing link for a lot of people. Due to their inner location on your pelvic bone, it’s also difficult to apply the right amount of pressure at the correct angle.

However, with the Hip Hook, you use your own body weight and the pivoting motion of this tool to get a full release.

As you can gather with the multiple mentions of the iliacus and psoas in this article, these muscles often get tight with golf and can ultimately be at the source of why you are experiencing pain in the hip region. Tension in the hip flexors not only causes pain in the hip area, it can affect the lower back, tailbone, knees and feet as well. I talk all about this chain reaction in my book if you’d like to learn more.

Relieving this muscle tension is one of the best ways to treat pain from hip injuries like muscle strain, hip tendonitis, or hip bursitis from golf. It’s also one of the best things you can do before an activity such as golf to help make sure your iliopsoas is happy, functioning at its highest level, and less likely to cause tension or pain.

As your muscles release – and stay that way over time – you may notice your pain subside and may feel stronger.

You will have an increased range of motion for your golf swing, with more hip rotation on your backswing in your back leg and more hip rotation in your front leg in the follow through.

The reality is that your muscles had that strength and mobility all along, but overuse, tension, or hip pain weren’t allowing them to reach their peak performance.

If you’re a golfer, you know your hips are important for your form and swing. Golf hip pain or lack of motion may throw your game off, or even worse, require you to take time off from the course.

So, what should you do when you start to feel hip pain while you golf?

Or better, how can you prevent the issue from worsening the moment you start to feel hip tightness or tension?

While we often hear about pain in golfers’ wrists, elbows, or backs, there are many common reasons why golfers experience hip pain during and after golfing. Although we will focus mostly on hip pain and tightness here, issues in the hips are related to back pain, SI (sacroiliac pain), and knee pain. Determining the cause of golf hip pain can not only improve your swing but can help resolve pain all over the body.

Once you figure out the why, the solution is simple and you will be well on your way to treating it — and even preventing future aches further down the line.

How your golf hip turn (rotation) can cause hip flexor tension

You’ve probably heard “it’s all in the hips” when it comes to the perfect golf swing.

But while a big golf hip turn is essential to help you get par, any repetitive motion can be challenging for your muscles to endure. And, if you have developed poor mechanics or tension in the hip flexors, that hip rotation will be even more taxing for your body.

Even as a low-impact sport, golf requires precision, stability, and targeted muscle use – particularly in your hip region. The muscles that help you rotate your hips while teeing off are located mostly in the back of your hip, mainly your piriformis and glute. Then there is a group of deep hip rotators that do the fine control of rotation.

Finally, the iliopsoas muscles or, more commonly, your hip flexors, have a double job. They must stabilize your spine, pelvis, and hip region while simultaneously allowing controlled motion in the hip joint.

The iliopsoas is a pair of large muscles (the psoas and iliacus) that sit side by side on each leg, running from your spine to your pelvis to your inner thigh. They are essential for walking, running, squatting, sitting, twisting your hips and golfing – anything you do, really.

But because they also help you bend forward at the hips and help hold you there, they are hidden under the surface doing a major load of the work. Add in the fact that these hip flexors can get overworked and feel tight after prolonged sitting, driving, running and cycling.

So, if you put the big picture of your life together, these sidekicks are likely to protest at some point.

In golf specifically, you are asking your muscles to repeatedly do one swift movement while simultaneously stabilizing your body. Over time, and without a proper release, the muscle complex may experience tension on and off the golf course.

They will begin to pull on your pelvic bone, causing a twisted core.

Your core is the foundation of your entire body.

So, any twist or weakness can contribute to problems throughout your body – such as low back pain, hip flexor pain, knee pain, and more. In addition, tightness in the hip flexors can significantly impact your range of motion in your hip. And limited hip rotation can lead to more strain on the back.

If the iliopsoas is tight while golfing, it can make that muscle weak and set the stage for injury in the back, hips, or tailbone region. Those muscles are pretty dang important for a healthy golf body!

Whether you’re an avid golfer, occasionally hit the green for just 9 holes, or spend your weekends at the driving range, you’re requiring your iliopsoas to work overtime. Though the pivot motion in your hip during golf is more natural than those we might do in other sports or activities, the fact that you are repeatedly activating your iliopsoas over long periods of time can fatigue your muscles.

Common causes of hip pain after golf

First, before taking any action to reduce or treat any hip flexor tension, it’s important to get a proper diagnosis on the root cause of your golf hip pain. As a professional physical therapist, I often find my golfers are suffering from a fatigued iliacus or psoas muscle that refuses to release its grip on the pelvic bone and spine.

The reason hip flexors are such a big deal for golfers is that those two muscles affect the entire alignment of the body.

When they are tight, they pull on the pelvic bone and spine, affecting the mobility of the spine, making it so the hip ball doesn’t fit into the socket, limiting internal rotation at the hip, changing the alignment of the knee and kneecap. And decreasing the overall motion in your spine and lower body can impact your swing.

In addition, this poor alignment makes the muscles around the hip and spine weaker because they are not at their proper length, easily setting the stage for injury.

The fact is, you may not have developed hip tightness from golf, although that is quite common.

But your golf hobby may be causing that hip tightness to become more apparent.

Hip flexor tension is so common in our world full of stress, sitting in desks, and long commutes. Tension that may have developed due to your daily life could be trickling into your golf game without you even knowing it.

Hip pain can have different severity levels, and may even require medical treatment.

I’ll address some of the common hip issues that golfers suffer from here. If you think you may be suffering from any of these, it’s wise to seek out the advice of a professional and/or invest in an at-home solution, such as the Hip Hook to help keep your iliopsoas muscles relaxed and happy.

Muscle Strain

If you experience golf hip pain, the most common culprit is muscle strain. A muscle strain is when a muscle has a hard time doing what is asked of it and ends up with a micro tear in the belly of the muscle itself.

A strained muscle often holds tension as a way of protecting itself. That’s why you end up with tight and painful muscles when they are strained.

During a golf swing – due to the hinging forward at the hips and rotation with the swing – many golfers complain of pain or tension in the front or back of their hips, in the groin region, or along the outside of their hips.

This could be multiple things, ranging from a tight iliopsoas muscle to a strain or tear.

Pain in the front of the hip or groin is often linked to the iliopsoas or tensor fasciae latae (TFL) muscles. The TFL muscles internally rotate your hips and work alongside the iliopsoas. Both of these muscles are stinkers and are often left unaddressed when working on the hips.

Pain near the back of the hip can be the glutes, hamstrings, or even the psoas and iliacus where they attach to the spine and pelvic bones.

Sometimes people will feel pain on the iliac crest. This part of your hip is often confused with your lower back because it sits up so high. However, it can be strained when the iliacus and psoas muscles end up pulling tightly on your pelvic bone. This can cause an unnatural rotation or forward tilt of your pelvic bone, resulting in back and iliac crest pain.

The iliopsoas pair is responsible for both rotation and stabilization in the hips. When muscles become tight or overused, they become weak. So, you may feel like your muscles are weak or that you have poor balance when, in reality, the muscles are being overused or holding tension. Stiffness and hip flexor tension could be your first signs this is happening.

I see this over and over again. And, most often, a simple release of the tension in the iliacus muscle results in immediate strength gains.

Put simply, tight muscles are not working at their best. (And they’re pissed.)

In addition, tension in the hip flexors affects the rest of the hip and body, making other muscles weak. A prime example is the back muscles or glutes and hamstrings. These muscles are not at their ideal length when the hip flexors are pulling on the pelvis and spine. Muscles that are not at their ideal length become weak and when asked to do a tough task, they are much more likely to not be up for that challenge and become strained.

Although the mechanics of this area of the body seems complex, it’s actually quite simple. If your hip flexors (the ones that hold it all together, connecting your upper body to your lower body) are happy, the rest of the hip region is happy.

Tension in the hip flexors can result from golf, get worse with daily activities, and affect your swing, setting the stage for strain to occur in this region. But, when you address the cause (tight hip flexors), the rest of the hip has a chance to perform at it’s best.

Hip bursitis

Beyond muscle strain or tension, many golfers develop bursitis in one or both of their hips. Hip bursitis in golf is more common in your dominant (back) hip when swinging your golf clubs.

Hip bursitis, or trochanteric bursitis, affects the outer area of your upper leg and hip. The greater trochanter is a part of the femur (leg bone) that sticks out on the outside of your hip so that muscles can attach to the bone there.

All of the muscles that attach there are hip rotators.

The pain arises from the inflammation of the bursa in this location. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that is designed to protect your tendons and ligaments from excessive friction. Overuse or uneven use from side to side – such as when you rotate your hips to swing a golf club – can inflame the bursa.

As you can imagine, a tight hip flexor can be involved in the development of hip bursitis. Tension in the iliacus or psoas creates tension in muscles like the TFL, gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, piriformis, and other deep hip rotators like the obturator internus.

And guess where all of these muscles attach?

Yup, the greater trochanter where that bursa lives.

This tension creates a perfect opportunity for irritation of that bursa to develop. Since the hip rotator muscles are active as you rotate your hips during your golf swing, it’s not hard to imagine an irritation developing.

Depending on the severity, hip bursitis from golf could cause pain or soreness that starts in the hip, and travels down your thigh to your knee area. This is because the IT band (iliotibial band) also attaches at the greater trochanter and makes its way to the knee.

Unlike muscles, the IT band is connective tissue and is an innocent bystander in the mix. And, although it’s trendy to roll out your IT band, connective tissue doesn’t like to be rubbed or stretched.

The real source of irritation to the IT band that goes from the outside of your hip to your knee is coming from those muscles in your hip and ultimately from a tight hip flexor.

You may not feel pain directly while golfing. In fact, the pain can be amplified when you rest, and even make it hard to sleep on your side.

Hip tendonitis

Hip tendonitis is another common reason for golf hip pain. The primary difference between hip tendonitis and hip bursitis from golf is that tendonitis impacts the tendons, not your bursa.

Now, remember how I said your iliopsoas muscles, or your hip flexors, are made up of the iliacus and the psoas muscles, which run from your pelvis to your thigh?

Well, your iliopsoas tendon connects these inner hip muscles to your femur, or thighbone.

And, when your iliacus and psoas muscles become fatigued or tight, it makes your tendons more vulnerable. Your tendons begin to take on more stress than they are designed to tolerate.

This chronic stress could cause a dull ache, clicking, or severe enough pain to make even daily activities like putting your socks on difficult. Iliopsoas tendonitis shows up as pain in the inner groin.

Since your iliopsoas muscles and tendons are used so often in daily life, overuse during an activity like golf can cause discomfort in totally unrelated activities.

Arthritis

Hip arthritis or osteoarthritis is a progressive disorder that usually starts small and grows in intensity. While there are so many variations of arthritis – and it’s important to properly identify the specific type you may be suffering from – they all boil down to the same thing: joint inflammation.

Hip joint inflammation occurs when your cartilage tissue has been broken down from overuse or aging. It then can create your bones to sit in your joint socket unnaturally, even rubbing against each other.

You see, the cartilage in any of your joints acts as a barrier and cushion for your bones to glide smoothly on each other. When your cartilage is damaged or weakened, that friction is no longer dispersed and movements directly impact the joint instead, causing inflammation.

You can develop osteoarthritis due to genetics, injury, or malformation of your joints. And, while your cartilage will naturally break down over time, repetitive movements – such as a golf hip turn, can speed up this normal process.

As such, arthritis is a common cause of golf hip pain, but it can be prevented.

One of the reasons hip arthritis develops is due to the hip joints not being aligned properly.

When a muscle is holding tension around the hip, it subtly changes the way the joint aligns and creates more grinding. Muscle tension around a joint also compresses a joint, contributing to more pressure on the joint surfaces. Tension in the iliacus and psoas is a major cause of the phenomenon and is one of many reasons to keep that iliacus and psoas relaxed!

Sciatica Pain

My clients often ask me, “Can I golf with sciatica pain?”  

Fortunately, sciatica pain doesn’t mean you need to retire your clubs early. Once the root cause of sciatica pain is determined, it can be solved.

Sciatica pain can often present in the lower back, but spread to the hips and can even travel to the outside of the foot. Pain will usually be isolated to one leg, often your back leg while golfing, and a numbness or tingling sensation may occur as well.

A herniated disk or tension in the piriformis muscle deep in your hip is typically what is responsible for pressure on the sciatica nerve. Because tension in the iliacus is playing tug of war with the piriformis, this tension could be at the source of why the piriformis is chronically tight and, in turn, irritating the sciatic nerve.

Since the game you love involves intense trunk and hip movement, this can be tricky.

Some golfers will opt to wear a back brace, but this doesn’t treat the problem, just the symptoms.

Another solution is to ensure that you maintain proper form and have released your iliacus muscle with a tool such as the Hip Hook prior to golfing. This ensures that your muscles are not causing an unnatural twist in your core, putting added pressure on your sciatica nerve.

4 treatments for golf hip pain

While hip pain may arise from golfing, it doesn’t mean it needs to become your new normal. Golf pain can be managed and often prevented in a number of ways.

1. Rest and recovery

Rest and recovery is the age-old remedy for hip flexor pain, injury, and inflammation. Using the RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) method is an excellent way to manage an injury, especially hip bursitis from golf.

To ensure your body has time to recuperate and recover between golf games, space out the days you play. You can also choose to play shorter courses or fewer holes during sessions.

It may seem strange that you’d need to work in recovery time for golf, especially since it isn’t a high-intensity exercise. Still, you use the same muscles repeatedly as you swing and make your golf hip turn. Allowing proper recovery time is important for managing, and avoiding, golf hip pain.

Gentle stretching to the muscles around the hip during your recovery period lets the area know you will take care of it after all you ask of it during your game.

September 9, 2021

We face stressors in our everyday lives, from work to relationships, and it’s natural to accumulate stress and experience some anxiety. It’s how we harbor those emotions that can directly impact our health.

Did you know that stress, trauma, and emotions can cause muscle pain? For some, this pain becomes chronic until it is addressed both physically and mentally.

The more stress we hold on to, or the more trauma we suppress, the more our body works to overcompensate and protect us. Much of our stresses and emotional trauma are stored within our muscles like the hip flexors and neck.

Getting to know how stress impacts your anatomy can help you navigate your daily stressors and begin to manage your emotions with a more holistic approach.

Understanding hip pain from stress and anxiety

The bodily reaction to stress is a very primal one: it goes back to our instinctual response when we are in danger — our fight or flight response.

Stress and anxiety both evoke a very similar reaction to primal physical danger, especially in the hip flexors, which are designed to help us flee from a predator or dangerous situation.

When our brains are introduced to even minor stress, like running a few minutes behind in the morning, our body still causes pain and tightness within our muscles to keep us safe. Whether our stress is related to the hip or not, it could contribute to tension in the iliopsoas or hip flexor muscles.

Anatomy of stress and emotions

Just as all of our stresses will be different, where we hold tension tends to vary from person to person. However, the most common stress-related muscle tension patterns occur in the neck or hip muscles.  

This is mainly due to the fact that many of our most essential organs are directly next to the iliacus muscle in the pelvis. The pelvic area not only experiences physical and sexual trauma, but due to its location close to the reproductive system, it’s a common place for holding tension related to relationships and our sense of survival and safety.

Our digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems, as well as major lymph, nerves, and blood vessels, are in this area. This makes the iliacus muscle vital in protecting this area of our bodies. Similarly, the neck muscles serve the vital purpose of supporting and protecting our spinal cord and brain.

Fight or flight response

The way our body manages stress is a balance between our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). A significant part of our sympathetic nervous system travels along the psoas, another strong connection between the iliopsoas and our stress response.

The vagus nerve is a main component of the parasympathetic nervous system. The vagus nerve travels throughout our diaphragm and affects our breathing. A strong indicator that our bodies are resilient to stress is that our vagus nerve is able to regulate heart rate variability: the ability of your body to speed up the heart when increased blood flow is needed and to relax again once that need diminishes.

When your diaphragm doesn’t allow you to take deep breaths, your vagus nerve isn’t stimulated properly. Since the vagus nerve is a part of the rest-and-digest response of the parasympathetic nervous system, when we take deep breaths into our abdomen, it helps us shift from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest.

The ability to breathe into your abdomen and not just your chest relates in part to the diaphragm’s alignment, which is also impacted by tension in the iliopsoas muscles.

These physical reactions in the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems do not just occur when we experience a moment of stress, though. As humans, we have a unique ability to evoke emotions from our memories as well.

If we had a traumatic experience that made a mark in our memory, when we think of that experience, our body will react just as it did the first time. Trauma and traumatic memories affect the brain’s sense of safety as we move through life, and can keep our muscles tense for years.

Managing stress, trauma, and emotion-related pain

The easiest way for us to approach muscle tension is to only look at the muscles that are tight. However, to fully address our whole body health, we should also look at our mental health and how it’s causing muscle tightness.

Below are four approaches that anyone can start when learning how to manage personal stressors, traumas, and emotions that cause muscle pain.

Massage

Muscle tension and muscle knots are caused by specific muscles being overused and holding onto stress. Muscle knots themselves are essentially muscles that never stopped contracting and haven’t been able to fully relax.

For muscles to be healthy, they need a break from contracting. When your muscles contract too much, your brain can’t turn off that contraction, making the muscle knot worse and worse. This can be just a small or large part of your muscle, and in some cases the whole muscle.

Whatever the cause, massage is one of the most direct and effective ways to release muscle knots. This can be done with a professional massage therapist, which is recommended since they will be attuned and responsive to the unique tension-holding patterns of your body. Otherwise, massage chairs and massage tools can also be used.

When you are getting a massage and working out muscle knots, it is important to note that it can evoke an emotional response, especially if the muscle tension comes from stress or emotional trauma. Recognize that a massage is a physical treatment, but mental therapies should not be ignored either.

Muscle release

In the same vein as massage, muscle release can help relieve muscle tension. The main difference between massage and muscle release is that muscle release tends to be more targeted to one specific muscle group, and involves direct pressure for an extended period.

One of the most effective areas to release muscle tension when managing stress is your iliopsoas. Both the iliacus and psoas muscles should be addressed when releasing the hip flexors.

The most standard at-home massage tools won’t reach either muscle, so many patients end up getting muscle release at physical therapy. This limits how effective the practice is, though, because most of us don’t go to physical therapy more than once a week.

If you want to integrate muscle release into your daily health routine, having tools like the Hip Hook and Hip Release Ball are the best way to go.

Designed by a physical therapist, the Hip Hook is the only muscle release tool that is designed specifically to release both the psoas and iliacus muscles. These muscles require a specific angular pressure along the pelvic bone that previously could only be accessed by a trained practitioner’s hands.

Since the iliacus isn’t the only muscle that makes up the hip flexors, you shouldn’t ignore the psoas either. This muscle is a bit easier to find but equally as challenging to reach. The Hip Release Ball is the right size and density to provide an effective muscle release without getting lost in your abdomen.

Breath and meditation

As mentioned before, the diaphragm muscle is responsible for your breathing, and directly impacts your ability to release your body from the fight or flight response.

When your diaphragm contracts, it pulls air into the lungs by opening the chest cavity and creating less space in the abdomen. That’s why when you take a deep breath, you feel your stomach expand and deflate along with your chest.

If you only breathe in your chest cavity and do not include the abdomen, your breath does not facilitate relaxation, and you get less oxygen. This means that if you are continually taking shallow breaths, your stress level will increase, not decrease.

Your stress levels are correlated with your frequency of abdominal breathing, and the tightness of your iliopsoas. The psoas muscle is attached to all the lower lumbar spinal vertebrae all the way up to the connection at the rib cage. So, a tight psoas makes for a tight diaphragm and less breath control.

This is clear anatomically when you think about the connective tissues surrounding the iliacus and the pelvic bowl that run up the back of the spine to the psoas and into the diaphragm. All of these muscles’ interconnected nature makes a big “C” shape and restricts the diaphragm movement when any of them are too tight.

As you work to release tight muscles, adding breathing exercises, and meditation into your routine will become equally important. After all, slow, deep breathing is an immediate way to relax your body and abdominal muscles specifically. This turns off your fight or flight response.

As you take deep breaths into our abdomen, your body begins to regain a sense of balance and tranquility. The fight or flight response your stress has been evoking will start to diminish with each breath.

An easy way to start practicing mindful breathing each day is to take three deep breaths when you begin to feel overwhelmed or stressed. It’s simple and extremely powerful: just stopping to take three deep breaths can change how your nervous system is responding to the moment.

Beyond that, if you actively manage anxiety or overcome emotional traumas, consider setting a timer for once every hour. When the timer goes off, stop what you are doing, close your eyes, and take three deep breaths into your abdomen. To ensure you breathe through your abdomen and not just your chest, put one hand on your stomach and one on your chest as a warm, gentle reminder and feel them rising and falling.

Therapy

The final recommendation for managing stress and hip pain is to go to therapy. Yes, working through emotional traumas is just as important as releasing your muscles. After all, once you control your anxiety and emotions, the way your body is reacting to everything throughout the day will change.

Talking to a professional can give you a launching pad to integrate more mindful habits into your routine and manage stress daily. As you get to know the deeper, darker parts of yourself, you will be prepared as your body reacts to past traumas and emotional triggers.

There is still some stigma surrounding the need for therapy in everyone’s life. However, you don’t have to have depression or anxiety to benefit from seeing a therapist. Most people find benefit in a new perspective, someone to talk through little struggles, and to have someone who is trained in psychology help give them tools to approach stressors.

Managing pain from stress and anxiety

Everyone reading this has likely experienced one stressful situation already today. If left unchecked, these little daily stressors – our human affinity for anxiety, and harboring past emotional traumas – can cause deep hip pain and even lower back pain from stress.

We often associate anxiety pain with chest pain, which also occurs, but the diaphragm muscles connect to the iliopsoas. All of our muscles tightening to protect us is a natural reaction, but our daily life will become much harder if we try to “muscle through” (literally) with unresolved tension.

Finding time to slow down, take a few deep abdominal breaths, and work other stress management techniques into your daily routine can help give your muscles a much-needed break, and help you relieve some stress.

Frequently asked questions about stress and muscle tension

Can stress and anxiety cause body aches?

Absolutely. Our bodies respond to our thoughts, whether we’re remembering past experiences or responding to the present moment. We tighten muscles in a primal response to stress, or to protect certain areas of the body from trauma. While this is a natural healthy response, it becomes problematic when those muscles don’t let go and instead create chronic tension and pain.

Can you carry stress in your hips?

Your iliopsoas muscles have connection points to the top of your ribs, all along your lower spine, pelvic bowl, and to the top of your femur (thigh bone). A tight iliopsoas can be both the cause and the result of an inability to take a deep breath due to misalignment of the diaphragm and/or a result of the connection between the vagus nerve (a major component of the parasympathetic nervous system) and the psoas.

Are emotions stored in the hips?

Our bodies respond to our thoughts, whether past or present. The iliopsoas muscles run alongside multiple organs as well as the female reproductive system. These muscles can tighten as a result of stress, trauma, thoughts, memories and experiences, and then have difficulty releasing. Tension on the iliopsoas can also affect the functioning of the diaphragm, the ability to take deep breaths, and turning off the body’s stress response.