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Exercising with Back Pain - The Hip Hinge

We're continuing our series on Exercising with Low Back Pain and going to discuss the Hip Hinge!

The Hip Hinge is a great exercise that teaches you how to move and lift things using your strong muscles on the back of your legs instead of your back. Here are a couple variations to keep you moving even in the presence of a minor flare up.

1. Hip Hinge with a Dowel Rod/Broom Stick

Bend forward & back at your hips while keeping the stick touching the bottom of your spine & the middle of your back. This ensures most of the motion is coming from your hips.

2. Good Mornings

Once you're able to get down the first variation, put the dowel rod across your back and think of closing a car door with your backside. Most of the motion should come from the hips.

Give these two a try and let us know how they feel! These can be useful to keep moving even in the presence of a little back pain.

-Jeff Musgrave, PT, DPT, Cert MDT