There’s a good reason we all need good hip stretches. “Tight hips are incredibly common,” says Winnie Yu, DPT, CSCS, a physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist in New York City.
The muscles that surround the hip joint — the glutes (buttocks), hip adductors (the muscles in the inner thighs), hip flexors (the muscles at the front of the hip), quadriceps (the muscles in the front of the thighs), and hamstrings (the muscles in the back of the thighs) — perform many important functions. They support your body weight, help to maintain your balance, and control the movement of your legs.
There are many reasons these muscles become tight and stiff, but the most common culprit is prolonged sitting. “The muscles around the hips can shorten and get chronically tight if we sit for hours each day,” Dr. Yu explains. This can cause discomfort and pain in not only the hips themselves but also in the areas above and below them — particularly the back and knees.
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