Mobility exercise

Hip flexor stretch

A lunge-position stretch for the front of the hip. Remedy’s version starts half-kneeling, with one knee on the floor.

Also called: half-kneeling hip flexor stretch, kneeling lunge stretch

Type: Mobility
Equipment: No equipment
Area: Lower back
Level: Gentle
Starting dose in Remedy: 2 holds of 30 seconds per side

How to do it

Kneel on one knee with the other foot flat in front of you, both knees at about 90 degrees.
Stand your spine up tall.
Tuck the hip of the back leg under, as if pointing your tailbone down.
Keeping that tuck, shift your weight forward slowly until you feel a stretch at the front of the back hip.
Hold, breathing normally, then switch sides.

Form cues

Tall spine.
Tuck the back hip under, then shift forward until the front of that hip stretches.

Common mistakes

Arching the low back to get further forward. The tuck matters more than the distance.
Leaning the torso forward.

Easier and harder versions

To make it easier: If kneeling hurts your knee, pad it with a cushion, or do the same stretch standing in a split stance with a hand on a wall.

Why it helps a sore back

The hip flexors attach to the lower spine and pelvis, and they spend most of a sitting day in a shortened position. Stretching them is a common part of back routines for people who sit.

How Remedy uses it

In the app it is called Standing Hip Flexor Stretch. Remedy is more likely to pick it if you say your back is bothered by sitting too long or standing or walking. A typical starting dose is 2 holds of 30 seconds per side, and the program adjusts reps as the weeks go on. Every exercise in the app has a demonstration video.

General fitness information, not medical advice. Stop any exercise that causes sharp pain, or pain, numbness, or tingling spreading down a leg.