This Hip Stretch is Destroying Your Hip! Figure 4!

There are so many hip stretches that you can do at home. Many people like to stretch before work in the mornings. One of the most popular hip stretches is the FIGURE FOUR stretch! What a lot of you may not know is that the figure four stretch is harmful to your hip joint. In today's video, Dr. Lin teaches us why the figure 4 stretch is hurting you, and a great alternative to safely stretch your hip at home!
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Figure 4 is HURTING you!
00:27 - Explanation
01:10 - Figure 4 Example
02:03 -Better Alternative Stretch
03:50 - Disclaimers!
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Not all exercises, suggestions, and recommendations presented here are suitable for everyone and are in no way substitute for medical counseling.

These exercises can result in injury. Any user of this program assumes the risk of injury and holds harmless and releases Dr. Justin Lin and Rehab and Revive Physical Therapy, Inc. from any and all liability in connection with the program and advice herein.

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[Druzilla]

I have the opposite problem... I experience severe sciatic pain. Often it wakes me with throbbing stabby pain mostly in my calf and thigh. The only way I can get it under control is the figure 4. I have to sit with my legs cross legged and fold over with my head to the floor. Why is this this helpful? Very few people actually have pirformis syndrome.

[susielouisek]

This stretch has always hurt; the figure 4. Today I can hardly walk after doing it and so much pain from my hip down the side to my knee. Every PT I've seen, massage, etc recommends this despite me saying it kills! so thank you

[mcmjr]

I’ll do it today and see how my body responds. Thank you for sharing this!

[louiswendlander]

I'm glad I found this because I was told to do the figure 4 by a physical therapist and it caused me a lot of pain. I have fibromyalgia and hypermobility and I'd feel sharp, stabbing pains in my hips after and I thought it was just because I'm disabled. I'll give this a try!

[robellemagalongga]

Thanks doc, I'll do it tomorrow morning..😊

[shanidgolam]

Love this to target the larger area thanks!

[criseldarayo]

I'm doing the previous 4-exercise for a long time for sciatica, i got slipped disk before and did a rehab and that exercise is part of my routine that my therapist taught me...

[rogervortman]

I've avoided the figure 4 stretch because it doesn't feel good to me. Instead I'm doing a stretch that's close to the one that you're showing. It is a cross body stretch, where I pull one knee up towards my head, with the other leg flat on the floor. Then pull on the knee that's up with my opposite arm, pull that opposite knee across my body and up towards my head. It feels like a good stretch. I'm wondering if this one is as beneficial as yours, and whether it will hurt me in the long run. I figure if it feels okay, it won't hurt me in the long run.

[kilgore_trout_]

Hi, this is great info! I have an edge case question- I don’t use this stretch often but only to pop my hip back into place when it’s slipped a little out of position- I have EDS and it’s unfortunately pretty common and very painful, and the figure four after some massage usually does the trick, with an audible pop. I shun chiropractic care, it’s contraindicated for EDS, so I’m not chasing this crack, just the relief. Is there something else I could be doing? I often wonder if performing this stretch is doing long term harm for short term relief. 😢

[stephanszwajcar]

Hi there! Is it also bad for the hip when I sit on the floor with both legs fully on the ground, and the knees at an 90 degrees ankle, (the position that looks like half a German Nazi cross, I don't know how it's called exactly) and then lean forward to stretch the hips? That's how I do it every day. And how about sitting on a chair and crossing one leg over the other and leaving forward, so the sitting 4? Bad too? Thanks a lot!

[w.werion]

Huh. I had so far only a postive exp. With figure 4 stretch. Gonna try the single knee stretch

[anthonymcglocton]

I can't put my legs in a fiqure 4 postion. Is there an alternative?

[stevenb]

Do you have research on the figure 4 stretch being inferior? Also, what are people stretching when they push the knee away? My understanding was that the piriformis gets stretched when the hip is past 90 degrees.

[anthonysherman]

There's a reason yoga treats exercise as a dimension of the philosophy: like most stretches, the acute or long-term damage people suffer from doing "hip openers" is improper alignment and application, rather than the posture-exercise itself. We need to practice these things under the supervision of competent instructors that we also respect.

[gowtham.p]

Left hand fingers not working how to treatment

[dssifter]

Forgive me, but wouldn't this strain both lumbar and sacroiliac joint ligaments? I thought Sarhman, Boyle and others recommended not to rotate past midline so as not to strain?

[andrewpogba]

Sir an suffering with groin pain from past 1and half year, i can't play soccer peacefully. It pains a lot

[mrsducky]

Uggg 40 years ago a chiropractor told me the figure 4 was the best exercise for "opening" the hip!

[apatik]

I do the figure 4 stretch position when I sleep.