It’s All In The Hips - 6 Ways Hip Alignment Affects Lower Back & Neck Pain (And 1 Easy Solution)

What’s your game? Golf? Tennis? Pickleball? Surfing? Or maybe just a nice leisurely walk perhaps? No matter what activity floats your boat, the hips are crucial for generating power, bending, twisting, rotating, pushing, pulling, and lifting. As the body’s functional bridge between the upper and lower extremities, the hips aren’t just for shaking the rumba. They are serious influences on lower back and neck pain. 

Of course, being very active or having poor form can result in a hip injury. But the far greater risk to postural integrity of the hips, and therefore low back and neck pain, is a sedentary lifestyle. Considering the average person spends nearly 8 hours a day sitting (7.7 hours to be exact, according to a 2020 study), this doesn’t bode well for the postural alignment of the hips. And if you’re currently experiencing any lower back or neck pain, it’s vital to have correct postural alignment of the hips.

Thus, in this article, we’ll explore the following three areas:

• Why the hips are essential for a healthy, active life
• How poor postural alignment of the hips affects lower back and neck pain

The one easy solution you can do at home to support your hips and manage lower back and neck discomfort.

Got A Great Gait? The Key To Walking Pain-Free

Do you want to walk, run, and jump well into your senior years without experiencing pain? If you do, then having properly aligned hips is crucial. Just like wheel alignment on a car ensures optimal vehicle performance, having proper hip alignment results in an efficient gait, which reduces the risk of injuries and pain. 

Moreover, the muscles attached to the hips provide core stability, essential for maintaining postural alignment, balance, and overall functional movement throughout the spine. 

Undoubtedly, having healthy ball-and-socket joints like the hips is necessary for smashing a forehand down the line, escaping a sand trap bunker, executing an off-the-lip, or hitting one out of the park. But don’t discount the importance of hip postural alignment in simple, everyday activities like tying shoelaces, standing up and sitting down, and climbing stairs. Poor postural alignment can cause discomfort while doing menial tasks as much as engaging in high-impact sports can.

Sitting Positions And Postural Alignment

Proper postural alignment is necessary for squatting and flexing the hips from standing to sitting. However, once seated, most people tend to stay seated for a long time. Does sitting cross-legged make matters worse? The same study from above put that question to the test, examining the effects of sitting cross-legged on people with and without lower back pain. The results showed that sitting cross-legged made people slouch more, especially those with lower back pain. 

When we sit, the natural curve of our spine decreases compared to when we stand. Yet maintaining an upright sitting posture without support for a long time is challenging without having strong spinal erectors and other core musculature. On the one hand, sitting cross-legged may reduce muscle tiredness. But in doing so, sitting cross-legged can exacerbate muscle or joint pain.

How The Hips Affect Lower Back And Neck Pain

Lessons learned so far: try not to sit cross-legged, and take frequent mini-breaks if you have to stay seated throughout the day. Set a timer on your phone if you have to remind yourself because sitting for extended periods can have several adverse effects on the hips and the posture of the spine.

Tight Hip Flexors

The textbook picture of an older person walking with a severe slouch indicates exceptionally tight hip flexors. Prolonged sitting can cause the hip flexor muscles at the front of the hips to shorten. This causes the tightness and, ultimately, the hip flexors adapting to this posture, permanently flexed (bent) in a seated or walking position. 

Stiff Hip Joints

Being sedentary can cause the ball-and-socket joint of the hips to become stiff due to lack of movement. The reduced flexibility and range of motion in the hips can alter the spine's alignment, causing pain in the lower back or neck.

Weakened Gluteal Muscles

Use those glutes! When you’re walking upstairs, if possible, try to skip every other step and use your buttocks muscles to power yourself up. This exercise is an excellent antidote for long periods of inactivity, which weakens the gluteal (buttock) muscles. When these muscles are inactive, it may affect hip stability and contribute to poor posture.

Increased Pressure on Spine

The spine faces increased pressure when sitting for a long time, especially in the lower back. Poor sitting posture can contribute to the development of conditions such as lumbar lordosis—an increased curvature of the lower spine—or kyphosis, an excessive outward curvature of the upper spine.

(Watch how easy it is to correct spinal curvature in just minutes flat from the comfort of your home.)

Strain on Spinal Discs

Prolonged sitting can put uneven pressure on the spinal discs. This can cause disc compression and, over time, increase the risk of disc-related issues such as bulging discs and, more seriously, herniated discs. 

Reduced Blood Circulation

Sitting for a long time without taking a “shake it out” break can cause the blood flow in your lower body to become stagnant like a swamp. This impeded blood circulation means that your muscles and joints, including those in the hips and spine, aren’t nourished with nutrients and oxygen.

Posture Pump’s® Positive Impacts on Hip Alignment

If you’ve never heard about Posture Pump® lower back and neck Disc Hydrators®, imagine this: you’re lying on the floor with your neck/back fully supported and comfortably decompressed.

For lower back/hip discomfort specifically (including sciatica), the Posture Pump® Penta Vec® (Model 2500) can provide quick, comfortable relief. With just a few squeezes of your hand,  the patented air cell technology lifts and expands the lumbar spine while the sacrum and pelvis are lifted up and translated away. As a result, your spinal discs decompress, your hip flexors relax and stretch, and in just a single 5-15 minute session, your discs are better hydrated, posture is improved, muscle tension is eased, and, most importantly, you feel less discomfort. 

This is the 3-million-units-sold and thousands of success stories and published research studies track record of Posture Pump® lower back and neck pain relief products.

Posture Pump® devices are designed to support overall spinal health and alignment. There is no doubt that Posture Pump’s® impact on spinal alignment can influence hip alignment. The interconnected nature of the musculoskeletal system means that improvements in spinal alignment can positively affect your hips. Because, after all, the hip bone’s connected to the backbone, according to the Skeleton Dance (and basic human anatomy). 

Treat your hips right. Stretch out tight hip flexors, take frequent mini-breaks from sitting, avoid sitting cross-legged, and order a Posture Pump® today.