Let’s talk movement patterns. Movement patterns are the ways you move during everything you do from your normal daily activity to exercise and recreation. Having good motor control and awareness of your body in space, will ensure your movement patterns are things you can do over and over again!
We have a huge variety of movement patterns we do day in day out – like bending over for example.
We often pick things up from the floor, reach down to that bottom drawer, get down to feed the pets or tuck the kids into bed, without really taking notice of our movement, and so we should.
However, if you have back pain, hip or knee pain for example, these things can become particularly tricky. This is where learning about movement patterns is really great!
When it comes to getting down low, the hip hinge is an awesome movement pattern to be able to do naturally.
So, why hip hinge?
The hinge is a movement pattern that promotes good use of our really BIG muscles – mainly our glutes, hamstrings, and core. When we’re using the big muscles in an effective movement pattern, they take the load of the movement and make it really easy for our joints to move – because they LOVE moving!
The hip hinge in particular, as implied in its name, promotes great hip movement, which spreads the load across the back, hips and knees – which are all robust joints that can’t wait to be moved and pulled by the surrounding muscles.
Well-practiced, the hip hinge makes bending over to lift things up, feeding the pets in the morning and other similar jobs, so much easier and ensures your body is in a powerful position to do the things you need it to do, keeping you at work, in the gym or living life younger, for longer!
What does a hip hinge look like and what types of hip hinges are there?
The optimal hip hinge should start with your natural upright posture – our body spends a lot of time in this position, so it’s a great place to start and emphasise powerful and athletic positions for your body to be in.
Next, you should feel like you’re pushing your butt backwards, with your back staying in the same posture it started in. Great hip hinges normally feel like backwards/forwards movements, as opposed to up/down movements.
This is where we should also mention that the hip hinge comes in other forms… The single leg hinge is a great way to promote that extra strength into your posterior chain, improve your balance and get even more hip movement!
Starting with a small amount of movement and increasing the range of movement as you gain control and strength is a good place to start in working towards a great single leg hinge. If you’ve ever watched the PGA Tour, take note of how often golfers use this movement pattern to pick their ball out of the hole.
If you experience some of the pain mentioned above, want confirmation on how well (or not) you move, or simply want to work on your movement patterns and don’t know where to start, come in and see one of our Precision Physio Exercise Physiologists based here in Sydney.
Exercise Physiologists are highly trained professionals who’s focus is on using exercise to help you live the best and most pain free life possible. Precision Physio Exercise Physiologists work in closely with our Physiotherapists to ensure our clients are living young and moving in a way that gives them the best chance to avoid injury and get the most out of life.
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If you found this article helpful but have more questions, you can contact us on 02 8607 4000 or request a call by completing this form.
Or, this particular blog was written by Liam Palmer – Exercise Physiologist at Precision Physio Concord. If you would like to work specifically with Liam, you can contact him through the Precision Physio Concord clinic: 02 9736 3950 or book in online.
