Ashley Patten returns with some important information — this time, she’s tackling hip pain.
If you’ve been working from home for the past two years, you’re probably very familiar with this feeling: After hours of working sunken into the couch with your computer in your lap, you get up and feel your hips ache into place. It can also happen if you have a desk job with no option to stand or if you have a long commute that requires a ton of driving. Maybe you sit for prolonged periods on an uneven surface, cross your legs excessively, or have poor posture. There are so many sneaky little habits and activities that can ultimately cause hip pain and stiffness, and most of us regularly indulge in quite a few of them. Ensuing hip pain is fairly common: Actually, according to one study, “14.3 percent of adults reported significant hip pain on most days over the previous 6 weeks.” And, as you probably know, occurrences of hip pain might only increase with time, since cartilage takes a beating as you age.
Katie’s own pilates instructor, Ashley Patten, confirms that “our hips can carry lots of tension and lots of stress.” To make matters worse, hip pain can also impact and change other parts of our bodies. Patten says that “a lot of other issues within our body can stem from tight hips — from back pain to knee pain.” While the interconnectedness of our bones isn’t exactly news, it’s sometimes easy to forget that one little issue can spawn additional afflictions.
We’re definitely not excited about developments of chronic pain (who would be?), but Ashley Patten has brought us a series of stretches that can open up your hips and relieve that stiffness. As mentioned, these stretches are Katie-approved! Patten says that “Katie loves these and very frequently requests all things hips.” So if you’ve been feeling stiff (or are thinking ahead in hopes of preventing stiffness), clear a bit of space on your floor, play this short video, and get to stretching.
