Kneeling Hip Flexor Plus
Excessive sitting and poor posture keep the hips in a flexed position for a prolonged period, which weakens the low back.
It is an excellent move to counteract the negative effects of sitting. This stretch is an easy and gentle way to relieve the pain caused by tight hip flexors.
Hip Flexor Plus combines three variations to treat at a much deeper level. An addition to releasing tension in the hip and upper leg is to include an upper body side stretch, and a combination hip, side, and rotational stretch.
This move will stretch and lengthen the psoas and iliacus (known as the iliopsoas) muscles, abdominal, glutes, and lower back muscles.
Begin by kneeling on the floor. Move the left leg in front of you, so that the left thigh is parallel to the floor and the knee is bent at a 90-degree angle. The right knee should remain on the floor, aligned underneath the right hip. While keeping your back straight, shift your hips forward until you feel a stretch. You will feel it through the front of the right thigh and groin area. Bend forward and come back to the starting position. Next position while in the stretch is to raise the arm that is the same side of the stretch. Last position is to raise the arm as in the last position and lean to the opposite side.
Switch legs and repeat until you feel adequately stretched. For best results, do this move 3 to 5 times on each leg.