If you’ve ever stood up from a chair and felt like the Tin Man searching for his oil can, your hips might be trying to tell you something.
The challenge is that hip tension isn’t always felt in the hips. Sometimes it shows up as lower back pain. Sometimes it’s a stubborn knot between your shoulder blades. Other times it’s a knee that never seems quite right.
The good news? You don’t need an hour-long stretching routine to identify where tension may be hiding. A few simple movements can quickly reveal which hip muscles need attention.
The Gluteal Group: Test Your Backside
The gluteal muscles help stabilize the pelvis and support nearly every step you take.
Quick Test
Sit in a chair and cross one ankle over the opposite knee, creating a figure-four position.
If one side feels dramatically tighter, higher, or more uncomfortable than the other, your glutes may be contributing to restricted hip mobility.
Easy Stretch
Stay in the figure-four position and gently lean forward until you feel a stretch in the hip and buttocks.
Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
Helpful Tool
The RAD Roller is particularly effective for the glutes because it allows you to target specific trigger points without rolling your entire body weight over a large foam roller. Simply sit on the roller and slowly explore tender areas around the hip and glute muscles.
Plus, if you use code FRIEND-J34ZJKT at checkout, you can get $5 off your RAD Roller purchase.
The Adductor Group: Don’t Forget the Inner Thighs
The adductors are the muscles along the inside of the thigh. They help stabilize the pelvis and control movement during walking and exercise.
Unfortunately, they’re often ignored.
Quick Test
Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width apart.
Shift your weight side to side.
If one inner thigh feels noticeably tighter or limits your movement, you’ve found a likely area of restriction.
Easy Stretch
Perform a gentle side lunge, keeping one leg straight while bending the opposite knee.
You should feel a stretch along the inner thigh of the straight leg.
Helpful Tool
A massage ball or RAD Roller can be used while seated or lying down to apply gentle pressure to the inner thigh muscles. Start lightly, as these muscles can be surprisingly sensitive.
The Iliopsoas Group: The Hidden Hip Flexors
The iliopsoas might be the most influential muscle group most people have never heard of. These deep muscles connect the lower spine to the upper leg and spend much of the day shortened while we sit. Once you find these muscles during stretching exploration, you’ll notice in a way that says, “Houston, we have a problem.”
Quick Test
Lie flat on your back and pull one knee toward your chest.
If the opposite thigh lifts off the floor or you feel a strong pull through the front of the hip, your hip flexors may be tight.
Easy Stretch
Step into a half-kneeling lunge position.
Tuck your pelvis slightly underneath you and gently shift forward.
Most people feel this stretch immediately in the front area of the hip.
Helpful Tool
The PSO-RITE was specifically designed to target the psoas and surrounding hip flexor muscles. While it may look like a medieval torture device at first glance, many people swear by it for reaching deep muscles that traditional stretching struggles to access.
The Lateral Rotator Group: Small Muscles, Big Problems
This group includes the piriformis and several other deep muscles that help rotate and stabilize the hip.
When they become tight, they can contribute to hip pain, buttock discomfort, and symptoms that sometimes mimic sciatica.
Quick Test
Sit with both feet flat on the floor.
Try rotating one knee inward and outward.
If one side feels restricted, stiff, or uncomfortable, the lateral rotators may need some attention.
Easy Stretch
A seated figure-four stretch or lying piriformis stretch can help target these deep muscles without requiring advanced flexibility.
Helpful Tool
Smaller massage balls often work best here because the muscles sit deep beneath larger structures. The RAD Rod and RAD Rounds can help target these areas more precisely than a traditional foam roller.
MORE: Hips Don’t Lie: How Tight Hip Muscles Impact the Rest of Your Body
Shop Our Hip Stretching & Release Tools
We’ve gathered up a list of our favorite hip stretching and muscle release tools for that region in our Amazon store. Shop the board to see how you can start relieving pain by releasing those muscles in just a few minutes a day.
When Stretching Isn’t Enough
Sometimes the issue isn’t simply flexibility.
Trigger points, scar tissue, fascial restrictions, movement compensations, old injuries, and muscle imbalances can all contribute to recurring hip tension. That’s where medical massage can help identify what’s actually driving the problem.
Regular stretching without progress can also mean joint issues or arthritis. Your massage therapist can help refer you to a local provider to help with issues beyond what we can accomplish on the massage table.
Give Your Hips the Attention They Deserve
The hips are one of the body’s most important crossroads. When they become restricted, the effects can travel upward into the back and shoulders or downward into the knees and ankles.
A few minutes of stretching each day can help you identify where tension lives, but lasting relief often requires addressing the bigger picture.
At Via Medical Massage, our therapists regularly work with clients whose back pain, knee pain, or recurring muscle tension can be traced back to the hips. Whether you’re looking for relief, improved mobility, or answers about why the same discomfort keeps returning, we’re here to help.
And if your therapist recommends a 90-minute massage instead of a 60-minute session, there may be a good reason. Extra time allows us to move beyond the area that hurts and follow the chain of tension through the muscles that may be causing the problem in the first place. Book your session now online at one of two locations in Lincoln or our West Omaha (Elkhorn) office.
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