Struggling with Tight Hips?
You're not alone—hip tightness is one of the most common issues we see at Core Chiropractic in Waukee, IA. Whether you're sitting at a desk all day or simply not moving enough, tight hip flexors can wreak havoc on your body. Over time, this tightness:
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Reduces hip mobility
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Places extra stress on the lower back
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Disrupts normal movement patterns
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Contributes to poor posture and glute inactivity
The good news? You can reverse this.
📖 Check out Dr. John’s guide below to learn:
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How to release tight hip flexors
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Why activating your glutes is key to long-term relief
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Simple mobility tips to keep your hips healthy and pain-free
Step 1: Release Your Hip Flexors for Better Mobility and Less Pain
Do your hips feel stiff, sore, or restricted—especially after sitting for long periods? If so, your hip flexors could be the root of the problem. These often-overlooked muscles are essential for healthy movement but are easily affected by modern lifestyles.
What Are the Hip Flexors?
The hip flexor group includes key muscles like the:
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Iliopsoas (iliacus + psoas major)
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Rectus femoris (part of your quadriceps)
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Sartorius (the longest muscle in your body)
These muscles work together to perform hip flexion—the movement of lifting your leg toward your chest. You engage them constantly when walking, running, climbing stairs, or even lying on your back and raising your leg.
Why Hip Flexors Get Tight
The most common cause? Prolonged sitting.
When you sit—whether at a desk, driving, or watching TV—your hip flexors stay in a shortened position. Over time, this leads to a condition called adaptive shortening, where the muscles literally lose their natural length and elasticity.
The result:
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Limited range of motion
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Chronic hip tightness
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Added stress on the lower back
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Increased risk of postural imbalance
How to Release Tight Hip Flexors
The first step toward relief is restoring normal muscle length and function. At Core Chiropractic in Waukee, IA, we recommend a mix of:
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Targeted hip flexor stretches
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Soft tissue techniques like IASTM or foam rolling
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Gentle mobility exercises to re-educate proper movement patterns
🎥 Watch the video below to follow along with Dr. John’s favorite hip flexor release techniques. These easy, effective stretches can help restore flexibility and reduce tension in just a few minutes a day.
Two Easy Hip Flexor Stretches
Step 2: Activate Your Glutes to Fix Hip Tightness for Good
We’ve addressed tight hip flexors, but that’s only part of the equation. When the muscles on the front of your hips become tight and overactive (thanks to too much sitting), they can inhibit your glutes—the powerful muscles on the backside of your hips.
In simple terms:
When the front works too hard, the back can’t activate properly.
This muscle imbalance not only contributes to hip tightness, but also increases your risk of:
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Lower back pain
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Knee discomfort
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Poor posture
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Decreased athletic performance
A Two-Part Fix for Tight Hips
To truly restore healthy hip function, we use a two-step strategy at Core Chiropractic in Waukee, IA:
1️⃣ Release the Hip Flexors – Restore normal length and reduce overactivity
2️⃣ Activate the Glutes – Re-engage these often underused muscles so they can support proper hip movement
When done together, this combo:
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Improves overall hip mobility
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Reduces stress on the low back and pelvis
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Creates better muscle balance and joint alignment
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Helps you move pain-free and with more power
🎥 Check out the video below to learn three simple glute activation exercises you can do at home or in the gym. These moves are beginner-friendly and designed to “wake up” your glutes so your hips can start working the way they were meant to.
Three Easy Glute Exercises
Step 3: Release the Hip Joints with Chiropractic Care in Waukee, IA
You’ve stretched your hip flexors and reactivated your glutes—great progress! But if you’re still dealing with nagging tightness or discomfort, the problem might go deeper than just muscles.
When hip tightness lingers too long, it often begins to affect the hip and pelvic joints. These joints are crucial for smooth, pain-free movement. But when they're constantly compressed or restricted—often due to tight surrounding muscles—they stop moving the way they should.
What Happens When Hip Joints Are Stuck?
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Mobility decreases
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Nearby nerves can become irritated
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Stress shifts to the lower back, knees, or opposite hip
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You may feel a deep, stubborn tightness that doesn’t go away with stretching alone
How Chiropractic Can Help
At Core Chiropractic in Waukee, IA, we use gentle, precise chiropractic adjustments to:
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Restore normal joint motion
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Reduce pressure and compression
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Relieve pain caused by restricted movement
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Improve how your hips move in daily life
🎥 Watch the video below to see how I treat hip joint restrictions and help patients get lasting relief—especially when mobility work alone hasn’t done the trick.
