6 Free Resources That Will Help You Recover From Hip Pain After Working From Home All Day
Working from home means more sitting, more hip tightness, and more hip pain, but it doesn’t have to be.
My hips hate the Zoom life.
Before COVID19, I walked to work and stood all day.
As an English teacher, I would pace across the whiteboard, arrange students into groups, and launch impromptu Salsa dance breaks when my students fell asleep.
After COVID19, I’m always sitting.
You can see the butt imprints on my chair.
7 months of Zoom classes, and I’m practically a potato. I’ve aged decades. My hips crack when I lift my legs. My right side and lower back are in constant pain. I can’t roll my waist without hurting every time I hit 5 o'clock.
I’m a 26-year-old grandpa.
The more I sit, the tighter my hips.
Netflix. YouTube. Instagram. Working from home — The four horsemen of the hip-ocalapyse.
“Studies have linked prolonged sitting with health concerns such as heart disease, cancer, depression, diabetes and obesity.
Research shows that breaking up long periods of sitting with movement at least once an hour reduces those risks”
— Journal of American College Health, Science Daily
I want to dance, run, and exercise again without pain.
I try to get up once an hour during class, but I don’t always have that luxury.
Here are some free resources that helped me recover from hip tightness. I hope they’re useful to you. You don’t have to do them all at once, just pick what you enjoy.
Variety is the spice of life.
Disclaimer: I’m not a health professional. This is just what’s worked for me. I also have no affiliate ties with any of the resources I suggest in this article.
1. Yoga with Adrienne
I love free resources.
Growing up, I thought Yoga was just for hippies.
I was wrong.
Top athletes like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and David Beckham all use yoga to stay healthy and compete at the highest level.
Yoga is one of the easiest, most effective ways to keep your body healthy and happy.
With over 8,350,000 subscribers, Yoga With Adriene is the most popular yoga channel on the planet. I’m waiting for the day she hits 8 billion. Adriene’s gentle, positive energy is contagious. Her videos are well-made, easy to follow for beginners like me, and jam-packed with yummy yoga goodness.
Even though I always make excuses and say that “I’m too busy with work and I’ve got no time”, I always end each Yoga With Adriene video with a big smile on my face.
2. FUNctional Movement With Francheska Martinez
Franceska Martinez (@francheskafit) is a badass.
I stumbled upon her Instagram while scrolling through dance and exercise videos. I love how her videos are short, fun, and effective. The best part is, most of the exercises require little to no equipment, so you can do them anywhere!
There’s no talking — Just great exercises, good vibes, and dance-able music.
I was hooked.
One day I’ll be as strong as Francheska.
3. The Myrtl Routine (It Takes 5 Minutes to Do)
I love running, but I was an idiot.
I used to never warm-up before running. I thought I was too cool for school.
Now I know better. The Myrtl Routine is great for runners and it takes 5 minutes to complete. I do it before every run. It’s made my runs feel more comfortable and I no longer have to quit a run half-way because of hip, IT Band, or adductor pain.
The video above is great for demonstrative purposes. This PDF by Nike’s Coach Jay is another awesome resource.
4. Post-Run Recovery + Foam Rolling
After a run, I used to jump straight into the shower.
I was an idiot — again.
Now, I do JustinDoesTriathlon’s quick post-run recovery routine. All you need is a resistance band and a foam roller. I don’t do this every time, but it’s a good routine to have in your arsenal.
Besides this video, a cool down stretch after a run/dance class is always great. I never do static stretches before working out, but after exercise, I’ve gotten into the stretching habit.
I don’t enjoy stretching, but I do it for one simple reason — it works.
When I don’t stretch afterwards, I feel sore the day after my workout. My next workout is also harder.
When I stretch, I feel less sore the day after my workout. My next workout is also easier.
Maybe the benefits are a placebo and its all in my mind. I don’t know.
But as a former “I have no time to stretch”-person, I’m now born again.
#TeamStretch for the win!
5. Joe DeFranco’s “Limber 11” (Flexibility Routine)
The “Limber 11” is bitter medicine. It’s “decently uncomfortable” at best.
And it works.
I like to do this recovery routine on my off days when I’m not running or dancing. It takes a bit of time to get through, but it’s worth it.
All you need is a foam roller, a lacrosse ball, and a tolerance for pain.
Watch the video first to see how each movement is done correctly. Afterwards, you can use the following resource to see each exercise in a smooth looping gif:
For my fellow fitness nerds, here are the 11 exercises with their time stamps on the YouTube video:
- Foam Roll IT Band (2:03)
- Foam Roll Adductors (2:53)
- SMR Glutes (lax ball) (3:54)
- Bent-knee Iron Cross (6:40)
- Rollovers into V-Sits (8:03)
- Rocking Frog Stretch (9:10)
- Fire Hydrant Circles (11:29)
- Mountain Climbers (12:56)
- Cossack Squats (14:05)
- Seated Piriformis Stretch (16:00)
- Rear Foot Elevated Hip Flexor Stretch (17:59)
I hate the Rocking Frog.
6. Stretch and Strengthen: Psoas, Rectus Femoris, Glutes, Hamstrings, Abdominal Muscles
I don’t know how I found this on the internet.
But it’s helped my hip pain, so I kept it.
Pretty self explanatory. This one’s a great routine right before bed.
Bonus Tip: Don’t Over-Complicate It
There is no “perfect” recovery routine.
We all have different bodies. We have different tightnesses, muscle weaknesses, and movement patterns.
I would spend hours searching the internet for the best resources. But in the end, I would have been better if I just picked one and actually did the exercises.
Any improvement is better than no improvement.
Consistency is key. I try to incorporate these exercises and routines as part of my life. When I was younger, I never took care of my body. I thought that I could do whatever I wanted and I’d always bounce back.
Now I know that exercise, recovery, proper nutrition and sleep are all vital to health.
If you are able to, I definitely advise seeing healthcare providers. They can speed up the recovery process and tailor exercises based on your unique situation.
I’ve only ever been to Registered Massage Therapists (RMTs), Chiropractors, and Physiotherapists — I’ve had great experiences with all of them.
I’m not a professional athlete. I can’t afford to see healthcare providers every single day. They’re also quite popular now that everyone’s suffering from the same work-from-home pains and if they’re good, they’ll be fully booked.
Prevention is cheaper than cure.
Here’s to your health!
May you have strong, happy hips.
