#Hip abduction full#
#Hip abduction series#

Thus, in addition to mobile and strong hip flexors and glutes, normal adductor mobility is a key factor in running efficiency and injury prevention. Progressively tight adductors can tug the femur too far medially, which pulls the hip off-axis and impairs the very motions they’re trying to help! Like walls closing in, the tighter the adductors become, the harder it is to flex and extend the hips, and the more the adductors will over-work! This downward spiral smothers the hip flexors and glutes–and our efforts to stretch and strengthen these areas! Impaired hip efficiency from tight adductors can cause myriad aches, pains and, performance issues which we’ll discuss in the balance of this article. While they should assist in both hip flexion (forward drive) and extension (pushoff), when they over-help, they over-work and get excessively tight.

While their assistance is key for strong running, what happens if they over-help?Īdductors are notorious over-helpers. Helping Too Much: Tight Hip Adductors and Rotators Grind You Downīoth the adductors and rotators are helpers.

#Hip abduction full#

Then, during pushoff, the hip internal rotators get to work, counterbalancing the powerful glute max to help achieve full hip extension range and power.īoth muscle groups are key for trail runners and ultrarunners, for whom stabilization and propulsive endurance is at a premium. In doing so, it sets up the leg to land in an efficient, knee-out position. In flexion, the hip should lightly, externally rotate. Their subtle motions are key for peak stride efficiency. The hip rotators keep the ball of the femur centered efficiently in the socket of the pelvis–both in stance phase as well as throughout the forward and rearward running motion. Similar to adductors, the rotators have both stabilizing and propulsive functions. Hip-rotator muscles also have important but more subtle functions. All of the five main adductor muscles aid in hip flexion some fibers of the adductor magnus also assist in hip extension. Secondly, the adductors assist in the running motion. That subtle contraction during stance phase keeps the thigh and pelvis in place, solidifies the hip joint, and helps assist the glutes to push off. While the lateral glute muscles keep us from falling over, the adductors help us from involuntarily doing the splits. Upon landing, the adductors pull the thigh and pelvis together. Why is adductor strength and mobility important for healthy running? The adductors do two subtle-but-important functions. They are often overshadowed by their “glute” brethren the gluteus maximus is key for pushoff power and the gluteus medius both stabilizes the hip and pelvis as well as assisting in pushoff. Their general function is to pull inward, or adduct, the thigh toward the body’s midline. This is a great alternative than standard physio prescriptions of “a life sentence” of pre- and post-run stretching exercises. The metrics are inspired from my work as a physiotherapist and my wish to empower runners to recognize their ideal range of motion, be able to routinely self-assess, and (when necessary) restore that ideal range with specific tools. While subtle, hip abduction and rotation are particularly important hip motions for strong, efficient running and injury prevention. Recently, I have developed another key mobility metric, which assesses hip abduction and rotation.

#Hip abduction series#

Back in 2017, I put together a series of key range-of-motion metrics that help runners self-assess mobility in their hips (via flexion and extension), trunk, feet, and ankles.

It’s been a few years since I last wrote about performance mobility.