Are you feeling pain in your groin as you walk? Have you noticed that you’re not able to move your hip as much? People who said yes to both of these questions may have a hip impingement.
This condition is also called femoro acetabular impingement (FAI), and it’s a common cause of hip pain. One medical survey found that 38% of the respondents who were diagnosed with hip pain had FAI. Physical therapy is an excellent treatment option for people with a hip impingement. One technique that physical therapists often use to treat FAI is therapeutic exercises, and some of the exercises that your specialist may prescribe include the:
- Hip flexor stretch
Purpose: This stretch is designed to reduce tension in the hip flexor muscles at the front of your thigh, which is why it’s often used in hip impingement physical therapy.
How to do the hip flexor stretch:
- Kneel down on the floor on your affected leg.
- Place your other foot on the ground in front of you so that your knee forms a 90-degree angle.
- Keep your torso upright and rock your body forward.
- Continue this movement until you feel a stretch in the top of your thigh.
- Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Take a brief break, and then repeat the stretch twice more.
- Piriformis stretch
Purpose: Physical therapists often recommend this stretch because it can help hip impingement sufferers ease tension in their piriformis muscle.
How to do the piriformis stretch:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Cross the ankle of the affected leg over your other thigh.
- Place your hands around the unaffected thigh.
- Slowly pull the unaffected leg toward your chest until you feel a stretch in the buttock of your affected leg.
- Hold this stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Rest briefly, and then repeat the stretch until you’ve completed it three times.
- Butterfly stretch
Purpose: Physical therapy plans for hip impingement tend to use this stretch to address inner thigh muscle stiffness in the affected leg.
How to do the butterfly stretch:
- Sit on the floor with the soles of your feet pressed together.
- Keep your upper body as straight as possible.
- Place your hands or forearms on your knees.
- Gently push your knees down toward the floor until you feel a stretch in your inner thighs.
- Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Relax for a few seconds.
- Repeat this stretch until you’ve done three total repetitions.
Panther PT offers effective hip impingement physical therapy
Stumped about where to find top-notch physical therapy for your hip impingement? Our Panther Physical Therapy is here to enlighten you about all the ways we can help with this hip issue. We can start with a free screening that can confirm that your symptoms are being caused by FAI.
Furthermore, our physical therapists have experience building physical therapy plans that are customized to each patient’s needs. We even offer at-home care and virtual therapy services to help you treat your hip condition without leaving home.
Contact our team today for more information about how we can help with FAI or to schedule an initial appointment.