Our body is truly amazing. I have been practising as an Athletic Therapist for 14 years and as a Chiropractor for nearly 6 years and I am still learning new tricks to improve my patients’ movements. The side bridge to improve hip range of motion is one of these tricks.
A common finding when assessing a patient’s hip is a lack of internal rotation (thigh turning inwards). There are different reasons for this lack of rotation:
- Tight hip capsule or osteoarthritis
- TIght external rotators of the hip,
- Tight hip flexors
- The natural shape of the hip joint.
- Weakness or inactivity of the muscles of the lateral chain (serratus anterior, obliques, gluteus medius, intercostals, peroneal muscles, iliotibial band)
The side bridge
The side bridge helps to activate the muscles of the lateral chain. Patients are surprised when they perform this exercise and see how quickly their hip rotation improves. Check out the side bridge and an explanation in the following video, Side plank for hip mobility – YouTube.
Performing the Side bridge
This is how I tell my patients to perform the side bridge.
- Lay on your side with your elbow directly under your shoulder.
- Bend your knees and hips
- Make sure your ear is away from your body shoulder; push your elbow down into the ground
- There shouldn’t be any side bending of the torso
- Push you hips forwards lifting your thighs up off the ground; thrust the hips forward so the thighs are in line with your torso
- Slowly sit yourself back down to the starting position.
Hope you found this interesting
Dr Notley
Winnipeg chiropractor and athletic therapist
Originally posted on May 17, 2022 @ 4:38 pm