Injury Prevention: Hips

I've got bad hips. Apparently it has something to do with the way I walk, or the way my skeleton is, or just because I'm weird. But apparently most people are in the same boat as I am.

Common Hip Injuries

As a victim of daily hip pain, I decided to do some quality self-diagnosis via the Internet. Here are some common ones. Disclaimer: if you're actually in pain, you should probably go see a doctor.

All the muscles I need to strengthen [Image]

• Trochanteric bursitis: aka swollen hip joint, commonly manifesting in pain outside the thigh
• Tendonitis: I believe we all know what this is
• Osteonecrosis: I guess you can cut off blood flow to your hip bones and it causes them to die or something of that sort. They don't really know why but it's really common in alcoholics and steroid users (just another reason not to poison your body!)
• Lumbar Pain: i.e. back problems. Herniated discs can lead to hip problems. There's also something called sciatica, which is where the sciatic nerve (runs from your lower back to the bottom of your leg) is injured. 
• Snapping Hip Syndrome: This has to do with the cartilage, IT band, or other ligaments moving inappropriately in your hip joint, "snapping" over the bones.
• And the most obvious,  Muscle Strains and Hip Fractures

I found this list here, if you want some more information. I'm a huge believer in doing your own research before going to the doctors. Otherwise how do you know if they are doing their job right? I think my hip problem is from sciatica, but I have the unfair advantage of having already been diagnosed with a sciatic nerve injury years ago.

Prevention Exercises

Jerry Shreck, a strength training coach at Bucknell, wrote up some great information (check out the full article). I decided to cull out a few exercises for easy reference, but if you're having hip problems or interested in this sort of thing, definitely check out the article. You need a theraband to do all these exercises. My plan is to do this series 2x a week before I go to bed, so it becomes a habit.

Theraband Hip Forward (10 reps)

Theraband Hip 45 Degrees (10 reps)

Theraband Hip Backwards (10 reps)

I also found this exercise on Run Addicts, which I also really like. Sorry this one didn't come with cool pictures.

Lateral Leg Raises: Lay on your side, with a theraband around your ankles. Lift your top leg about 45 degrees and lower. Do 10 reps per side.