At Don Kelly Physiotherapy and Acupuncture, we frequently see patients in our Limerick and Charleville clinics struggling with persistent lower back pain or hip stiffness. Often, the culprit isn't just the back itself, but a group of muscles known as the hip flexors.
If you spend a large portion of your day sitting—whether commuting or working at a desk—understanding these muscles is the first step toward moving pain-free.
The Cost of Prolonged Sitting
In our modern lifestyle, we spend hours in a “shortened” position. This causes the hip flexors to tighten and adaptively shorten. Because these muscles attach directly to the lumbar spine (lower back), tight hips don’t just stay in the hips—they pull on your spine, leading to that all-too-familiar low back pain.
Professional Relief: Physiotherapy and Acupuncture
At our clinics in Limerick and Charleville, Don Kelly provides a dual-approach treatment. Physiotherapy helps restore the length and strength of the muscles through manual therapy and tailored exercise, while Acupuncture can be incredibly effective at releasing “trigger points” or deep-seated tension in the psoas that is difficult to reach through stretching alone.
Home Care: Two Essential Hip Flexor Stretches
1. The Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
Start: Kneel on a soft surface.
Move: Step your right foot forward, keeping the knee at a 90° angle.
The Stretch: Gently lean forward, pressing your left hip toward the floor. Keep your torso upright.
Hold: Aim for a total of 60 seconds per side.
Hip flexor stretch with trunk rotation
Kneel down with your symptomatic leg behind you.
Make sure there is a large stride between the front and back leg.
Evenly drop your hips forwards, keeping your chest up.
Raise your arms up and rotate your body towards the front leg.
Return to the center and rotate again.
Advanced Treatment: Dry Needling, Physiotherapy, and Acupuncture
In our Limerick and Charleville clinics, we don’t just stretch the muscle; we reset it. Don Kelly utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach to provide long-term relief:
Physiotherapy: Manual therapy and specific strengthening exercises to correct the pelvic tilt caused by tight hips.
Acupuncture: Focuses on the body’s energy pathways and nervous system to reduce overall pain signaling and inflammation.
Dry Needling: This is a highly effective technique for the deep-seated psoas and iliacus muscles. Unlike acupuncture, which follows traditional meridians, dry needling involves inserting a fine needle directly into “trigger points” or taut bands of muscle.
Visit Don Kelly Physiotherapy and Acupuncture
Don’t let hip stiffness turn into chronic back pain. Whether you need the precision of dry needling or a comprehensive physiotherapy plan, our clinics in Limerick and Charleville are here to help you return to pain-free movement.
