Hip Mobility and Flexibility for Track and Field Athletes

Abstract

Introduction: The objective of this paper is to demonstrate techniques on how to improve hip flexibility and mobility, especially for track and field athletes. It also seeks to explain the underlying importance of hip flexibility and mobility. When athlete’s hips are stiff and inflexible, muscle imbalance may occur and increase the risk of injury. Muscle imbalance in the hip often causes knee and hip pain, due to the hip flexors and quadriceps overworking in order to compensate for weaker muscles. The hip mobility and flexibility exercises illustrated here are designed to significantly improve the range of motion (ROM) of the hips. Enhanced ROM can improve motor performance, skill execution, and even prevent injury. Excellent hip extension improves the ability to assist the hip in developing power. Methods: 9 Hip Mobility and 6 Hip Flexibility exercises are described in this paper. The exercises are to be performed 3× per week with at least 24 hours break in-between to achieve optimum results. Conclusion: This paper sought to outline the importance of hip mobility and flexibility, in particular for non-contact-sport athletes (such as those in track and field), and their effects on athletic performance and injury prevention. After proximately 6 weeks, the ROM of the hip will be expected to improve significantly.