Hip Weakness

Hip Weakness
There is growing evidence that hip weakness can contribute to a number of problems, including flat feet and excessive pronation. The position of the hips affects both the alignment of the leg and foot bones as well as the way forces travel through the leg. Hip weakness and poor control over the movement of the hip can lead to higher stresses on the structures farther down the leg. How Weak Hips Contribute To Flat Feet The large bone of the thigh is called the femur. At one end it connects with the pelvis to form the hip joint and at the other end it joins with the lower leg at the knee joint. The hip is a ball-and-socket joint similar to the shoulder. It has the ability to move in a number of ways. There are several large muscles that attach on to the hip to help control these movements. The largest muscle in the body, the gluteus maximus, is one of the main movers of the hip. There are also several smaller muscles in the hip that assist with the front-to- back, side-to-side, and rotation movements of the leg. These hip muscles control the alignment of the leg, and this determines how weight is transferred from the hip to the foot. If the line of force points down toward the inside of the foot instead of over the center then the joints of the foot and ankle are under pressure to roll inward. This is how hip weakness contributes to flat feet. Hip Muscles The muscles that control hip abduction (the outward movement of the leg) and hip external rotation are the ones primarily responsible for making sure the leg doesn't move inward. These muscles include the glutues maximus, medius, and minimus and also several of the smaller muscles contained within the pelvis. Hip Weakness and Pronation As mentioned earlier, when the leg internally rotates or moves inward (adducts) the forces traveling down through the leg will change in a way that causes the ankle and foot to collapse inward. The muscles of the foot can be used to counteract this movement, but they are relatively small muscles and can only fight back with a small amount of force. A lack of hip strength or control can be especially problematic with activities that require the body to balance on a single leg, like walking and running. With these tasks, the hip abductor and external rotator muscles need enough strength to support the entire weight of the body in order to maintain alignment through the leg and foot. Strengthening Weak Hips There are many exercises that target the hip muscles. These include: Squats/Single-leg squats Side-lying Leg Raises Clam Shell Exercise Hip Bridges One indicator of hip weakness is the inward movement of the knee with activities like squatting or jumping. It's important to focus on leg positioning and making sure the knee tracks over the feet. References Goo YM, Kim TH, Lim JY. The effects of gluteus maximus and abductor hallucis strengthening exercises for four weeks on navicular drop and lower extremity muscle activity during gait with flatfoot. Journal of physical therapy science. 2016 Mar;28(3):911. Goo YM, Kim DY, Kim TH. The effects of hip external rotator exercises and toe-spread exercises on lower extremity muscle activities during stair-walking in subjects with pronated foot. Journal of physical therapy science. 2016 Mar;28(3):816. Kendall FP, McCreary EK, Provance PG, Rodgers MM, Romani WA. Muscles, testing and function: with posture and pain. Original article and pictures take https://www.fixflatfeet.com/hip-weakness/ site