In my previous blog post I focused on the knee joints and their relative role in the lower limb kinetic chain. Keep in mind that these FRAMES represent a “snapshot” of the lower limb KINETIC CHAIN. Today’s post will focus on the hip joints and their participation in efficient lower limb kinetic chain activity. Let’s first look at the basic components of the hip joint. It is also known as the ilio-femoral joint. Femoral is in reference to the thigh bone (FEMUR) and ilio is in reference to the pelvis (ILIUM). See figure to the right illustrating the ilio-femoral joint a.k.a. the hip joint.

The hip joints: where the body and floor meet

The hip joint is the site where the force of gravity interacts between the lower limb and the torso via the base of the entire spine (i.e. the sacro-iliac joint). This is where the interaction of POWER takes place between the weight bearing forces traveling downward from the torso and lower limbs to the ground and then redirected upward through the body torso via the base of the spine. Movement is your body’s response to the ground.

Sitting = squatting into a chair

When it comes to sitting it is helpful to think in terms of “squatting” into a chair. Take some time and observe people as they sit down. Many tend to “plop” or fall into their chairs as they sit down. That is correct; most of us fall down into our chairs. Many of you may be saying to yourself “so what!” Here is why you should care. Those who plop into their chairs do so for one reason: their body weight is not properly balanced, their center of gravity is behind them, i.e. behind their stronger leg and buttock muscles and thus they lose their balance and fall into the chair. Sitting in this way under utilizes the hip joints and places potentially destructive pressure upon the joint between the knee cap and the thigh bone (femur). Repeated misuse as described leads to premature degenerative changes of the foot, knee, hip, and in many cases affected regions of the spine. Try the squatting to the chair exercise to the right. Begin by standing upright with your feet shoulder width apart. Reach back with your buttocks as your bend at both the hip and knee joints. Be sure to keep your knee joint directly above your ankle joints as you “squat” to the chair. The key to the successful execution of this exercise is to tilt your torso forward from your hip joints to the same degree as your reaching backwards with your buttocks. This maintains the efficient body balance. Learn more about this execution here.

How does this way of sitting compare to your current way of sitting? What is different? What are you noticing in your body as you execute this way of sitting? I invite you to share your thoughts and experiences.