Hips act as the fulcrum of body movements and thus the internal hip rotation becomes an undeniably important phenomenon for you to gain more power, strength, and athleticism. Upon getting restricted and less healthy, they can become the reason for knee problems and pain in the lower back that also cast a negative effect on your workout regime.
We are going to tell you more about this body mechanism and what all you can do to improve the movement.
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Know more about internal rotation of hip
The internal rotation of the hip, also known as medial rotation happens with the rotation of the femur inside the hip joint towards the body mid-line. This can happen in the standing position as well when the lower limb remains fixed while the pelvis rotates. The foot also turns that the toes get pointing towards the body.
The muscles of buttocks, hip, and thighs get activated when the hip muscles rotate. This inward rotation is facilitated by the combined movement of:
- The pectineus or the front upper thigh
- Adductor magnus, brevis, and longus of the inner thigh
- Gluteus medius and minimus partially of the upper buttocks
- Tensor fasciae latae of the outer hip
The hip internal rotators are used in movements like walking, running, squatting, crouching, and crawling. This mechanism also works when one puts the body weight over the foot and rotates the pelvis. 45 degrees is the normal angle for this rotation but any individual can reach a minimum of 35 degrees which is also fine.
Given the importance internal hip rotation holds in body mechanics, let us tell you some of the important activities it allows:
Prevents the lower back and the knees from pain
Facilitates the body to attain the deep squat posture
The runners keep safe from extending the hip for engaging the glute.
Facilitates movement for a lot of rotation-involving sports like golf or baseball
Internal rotation of hip going wrong
We have seen the variety of movement that internal hip rotation helps and any deficiency of extension can lead to big issues. Any effect on the link between hip extension and the gluteal muscles can put much strain on the overall mechanics. Insufficient rotation decreases the strides and restriction of pelvis stretch.
To support this situation, the body deploys other body parts to move compensatory and this leads to a variety of other problems like feet overpronation, knee valgus, foot external rotation, more knee and lumbar extension, and others. The overall result can be severe injuries anywhere between the ankles and shoulders.
You will feel stiffness in your hips if you are suffering from an internal problem and while you try to rotate them, pinching sensations will grope you. This way you must start taking the right care.
Importance for athletes
Internal hip rotation holds importance for sports training due to the significant impact it puts on a variety of body movements. Let’s see some such roles played by it:
Assessment of any problem with hip internal rotators
Any malfunctioning in the internal hip rotation must be assessed as soon as possible. The impact need not be very major immediately, but it will grow severe if left for a long time. The extension and flexion of the hip joint must be checked, both actively as well as passively.
If you see the passive motions more active then there is some issue which can be diagnosed with the following four techniques:
Exercises
If you want to strengthen your hip internal rotators, you can take the help of certain exercises.
Rotate the hips while seated
Sitting on the ground with perpendicular knees, put the feet flat at a normal distance. Keep the left arm back and right hand on the right knee. Flex the right foot and turn its inner thigh towards the floor.
Repeat the same and do around 20-30 reps. Then do the same with the left side.
Foot lift 90-90
Sit on the floor with flat feet and the knees must be bent perpendicular. Fall on the left side while keeping the inner right leg over the ground. Takeoff the right foot and keep the body stable.
Do around 20-30 reps and then do the same with the left side.
Reverse clam
Lie down sideways with knees bent in 90 degrees and feet aligned with the spine. Raise the upper foot while keeping the knees joint. Keep the pelvis static.
Kneeling glute mob
Use all fours to set up with knees under hip and hands under shoulders. With lower back slightly arching, place the right foot at the left knee back. Sit back on the right hip for a count of 1-2.
Do 5-10 reps with both sides.
Watch this video.
Stretches
Stretching is aimed at improving the range of motions and flexibility of the muscles that are responsible for inward hip rotation.
Lying with a band
Lie down with knees bent and feet flat. Tie a band or belt on right foot bottom and then stretch it inside with left hand. Extend and flex the left foot straight.
Now holding the band, pull the right foot inward and the stretch would feel on the right hip. Hold for 30 sec and repeat with the other side.
Massage the hip muscles
You can do with any massage ball or a tennis ball too. This aims at loosening the tight muscles like the tensor fasciae and upper gluteus. Lie down on the right side and keep the arm under the head.
Lift your hip and then keep the ball under it for sliding it and massaging the muscles. Change side and do the same.
Knee to knee
Lay flat and bend the knees. Separate the hips wider than the hips and let the knees fall into each other.
Butterfly stretch
Sit up with the knees down and feet together. Press down with the hands while moving the groin towards the heels. This stretch improves the sideward hip rotation.
Watch this video to know more.
Final words
After trying all that we told you to improve your internal hip rotation, you must consult a doctor or specialist if the conditions persist. We assure you that the tips we gave will help you do the primary diagnosis and also remove the problem. Trust the methods and go ahead with the most suitable.
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