Hip Abduction

Hip abduction is a movement that involves lifting the leg away from the body’s midline, strengthening the outer hips, glutes, and thighs. It improves hip stability, balance, and overall lower body strength. Common exercises include side-lying leg raises, standing hip abductions, and resistance band exercises.

What are Adduction and Abduction of the Hip?

Hip abduction and adduction are basic hip joint motions that involve the leg moving horizontally toward or away from the body’s midline, respectively. In many activities based on lower body strength, stability, and coordination, such as walking, running, and sports, these motions are essential.

Hip Abduction: The movement of the leg away from the body’s midline, known as hip abduction, occurs at the hip joint. Moving your leg outward and away from your body’s center determines what hip abduction is all about. This exercise mainly works the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, which are the muscles that abduct the hip joint. The purpose of these muscles, which are situated on the outside of the hip, is to promote appropriate alignment during exercises, stabilize the pelvis, and maintain balance.

Hip Adduction: In comparison, the movement of the leg toward the body’s midline is referred to as hip adduction. This motion involves pulling the leg back inward, toward the body’s core. The muscles known as the adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, and gracilis are used during hip adduction to adduct the hip joint. Situated on the inside of the thigh, these muscles are used for lateral movements, direction shifts, and crossing one leg over the other.

For both everyday tasks and sports performance, balance, stability, and appropriate biomechanics depend on both hip abduction and adduction motions. By strengthening these muscles, you may increase your lower body strength, play better in sports, avoid injuries, and move more functionally overall. Exercises that focus on these motions and help in the development of the corresponding muscles include side leg lifts for abduction and standing cable adductions for adduction.

Hip Abduction: What is it?

Leg movement away from the midline of the body is known as hip abduction. This involves tightening and activating the muscles that move the hip joint outward. The gluteus medius, a muscle on the outside of the hip, is the main muscle involved in hip abduction.

Hip abduction is a key motion for many sports and daily tasks. It can be used in workouts like side bands, side legs, and side lunges. Furthermore, hip abduction plays a crucial role in maintaining balance and stability during functional activities like walking and running.

Improved hip stability, greater lateral leg strength, enhanced athletic performance, and a lower chance of certain injuries are just a few advantages of strengthening the hip abductors. Specific pelvic-focused exercises are frequently used by athletes, trainers, and physical therapists. Include muscles in your training regimens to increase the stability and strength of your lower body as a whole.

Muscles of the Hip Abductors

The muscles that control hip abduction movement are called hip abductors, and they are situated on the outside of the hip. Together, these muscles allow the foot to be moved away from the body’s midline. The primary muscles of the hip abductors are:

• Gluteus Medius: When it comes to hip abduction, this is the biggest and strongest muscle. When walking or participating in other weight-bearing activities, it helps stabilize the pelvis and is situated at the outside of the hip.
• Gluteus Minimus: This muscle, which is situated behind the gluteus medius, has a comparable role in hip abduction and stability. It is situated closer to the front and deeper in the pelvis.
• TFL, or Tensor Fasciae Latae: The front and side of the hip include this muscle. It facilitates internal rotation, hip flexion, and pelvic abduction.
• Sartorius: The primary function of the Sartorius muscle is to facilitate hip and knee flexion. Facilitates hip abduction as well. It is a long, thin muscle that finishes in the thigh after obliquely crossing the front.

A hip abduction movement is produced by the coordinated action of these muscles. These muscles can be strengthened and rehabilitated to increase hip stability, enhance athletic performance, and lessen the risk of certain lower body and hip diseases associated with weight reduction. The hip abductor muscles are usually targeted and strengthened with exercises including resistance band exercises, side lunges, side leg lifts, and lunges.

Hip Abduction Range of Motion

The range of motion that may be achieved by moving the leg away from the body’s midline is known as the hip abduction range of motion. This includes the thigh moving laterally away from the body’s center. Adults normally have a hip abduction range of motion of 45 to 50 degrees.

Once more, it is important to remember that each person’s range of motion can change based on a variety of factors, including age, fitness level, flexibility, and specific anatomical variations. Due to factors including tight muscles or joint limitations, some persons may have a restricted range of motion in hip abduction, while others may have a higher range of motion because of their inherent flexibility or training. For a variety of tasks, including walking, running, lateral motions, and exercises requiring lateral leg movements, maintaining proper hip abduction is important. It supports general lower body stability and balance.

How to Assess Hip Abduction Range of Motion

A simple measuring method may be used to determine the hip abduction range of motion. Here’s how to assess hip abduction range of motion step-by-step:

• Position: Keep the person lying down on a level surface, such as an exercise mat or treatment table, to start. Ensure that their legs are relaxed and completely stretched.
• Correct alignment: Check that the person’s body is in the correct alignment. With the legs parallel to one another, the back should be in a neutral position.
• Starting position: Take a position close to the individual subject to assessment. During the test, place one hand on the hip to support it and stop it from rotating or moving.
• Measurement: With the other hand, grasp the subject’s ankle or lower leg on the side to be assessed. With the knee straight, carefully raise and abduct the leg away from the body’s midline.
• Range of motion: Gently shift the leg away from the midline until tension or resistance is experienced. The range of motion for hip abduction is the greatest angle at which you may move your leg out from the midline without experiencing pain or limitation.
• Measuring instruments: The hip abduction range of motion may be properly manually measured with a goniometer, a specialized instrument for measuring joint angles. Place the goniometer’s arms in line with the body’s midline and the femur’s long axis. When a maximum range of motion is achieved, take note of the angle shown on the goniometer.
• Repeat: Do the procedure many times and average the readings to find a more accurate amount.

Hip Abduction Special test

In clinical settings, several specialized tests are performed to assess specific aspects of hip abduction. The following two particular hip abduction tests are utilized often:

• Ask the subject of the evaluation to stand with both feet together.
• Observe how their hips shift when they raise one leg off the floor and use the other leg for balance.
• On the unsupported side, keep an eye out for pelvic tilt or drop. The pelvis tilting or dropping on the unsupported side shows weak hip abductors on that side, which is a good Trendelenburg test result.

The Ober Test:

• Ask the patient to bend his leg for support as he lies on his side.
• Stay still while bending the person’s knee and upper hip 90 degrees.
• Maintain the person’s pelvic stability to stop them from moving. The upper leg should be slowly lowered to hip abduction to allow it to be taken out of the body.
• Take note of the leg’s capacity to descend or rise above the horizontal.
• Ober’s test is considered successful if the subject cannot fully adduct the hip or if the leg stays up during the abduction, which suggests that the hip abductor muscles—particularly the tensor fasciae lata (TFL) and iliotibial band (ITB)—are tense or contracted.

Manual Muscle Testing For Hip Abduction

Muscle testing

• Gluteus medius
• Gluteus minimus

Position of the patient

The patient should be in the supine position while evaluating grades 0–2.
For evaluating students in grades 3–5 with the top leg straight and the lower leg slightly bent, the patient should rest on their side.

The role of the therapist

When the patient is side-lying or on the examination side supine, the therapist should stand behind them.

Perform the side-lying pelvic fixes.

In the supine posture, palpate the hip abductor muscles.

What is the test procedure?

• Stabilization: To avoid any pelvic rotation during the test, the therapist should stand behind the patient and use one hand to support the pelvis.
• Resistance: The patient is asked to raise their leg straight up toward the ceiling while the therapist holds the other hand right above the upper leg’s ankle. As the patient raises their leg, the therapist should put resistance on it.
• Assessment: By rating the resistance put on the patient’s movement, the therapist can determine the strength of the hip abductors. This is the grading method:

Grade 0: No contraction noticed
Grade 1: There is no movement, only a brief sensation or sign of contraction.
Grade 2: Movement that is gravity-free (horizontal)
Grade 3: Move against gravity without experiencing resistance.
Grade 4: Perform the motion with mild to moderate resistance and against gravity.
Grade 5: Good strength in the face of total resistance

• Endurance: To assess endurance, the therapist may also ask the patient to maintain the posture for a short while.
• Repeat: For comparison, the test needs to be performed again on both sides.

Note: It is crucial to make sure the patient performs the test with the correct form, which includes maintaining their leg straight and avoiding compensatory motions such as trunk or pelvic rotation.

Hip Abduction Exercise

Leg Lifts While Lying Sideways

This is one of the easiest exercises to strengthen your hip abductors. There is no equipment needed, and it may be done at any time or place.

Equipment required: a solid, comfortable surface, a yoga mat, or an exercise mat

The gluteus medius and other hip abductor muscles were used.

• Keep your hips stacked while lying on your side.
• Fold the arm on the floor beneath your head to support it.
• Place your upper hand on the floor in front of you to remind yourself not to bend forward or backward.
• Both feet should flex and be stacked.
• Raise your upper leg just over your hip, then hold it there for two seconds until you feel your hip flex.
• For a count of three, lower yourself back to the beginning position.
• Work up to three sets by repeating on one leg for ten repetitions before switching to the other leg.
• Aim for 20 reps on each side as you go.

Hip Drop

A weak hip abductor can result in mechanical problems in the legs, including iliotibial band syndrome and hip drops are used to strengthen it.

To make sure that the hip, not the legs, is starting the movement, this straightforward just thoughtful technique requires control and body awareness.

Equipment required: a training bench on one or two risers or an elevated step, such as the bottom of a staircase

Worked muscles: gluteus medius

• Place one foot on a step or other elevated surface.
• Maintain a straight leg when standing.
• Starting from your hip, lower the opposing leg downward.
• Throughout the whole exercise, maintain a straight standing leg and straight shoulders.
• For two seconds, maintain the lowest posture without allowing the pelvis to spin.
• With your hips level again, go back to neutral.
• Lower and raise each one gradually and carefully.
• Perform 12 to 15 repetitions on each side, aiming for 20 to 25.

Sidewalks with Resistance Bands

One efficient technique to help strengthen the hips is to use resistance with lateral movement. Those with really weak hips may begin with bodyweight lateral steps.

Resistance training helps avoid injuries by focusing on the muscles and promoting strength and development.

Required equipment: A little resistance band. These are available in the physical therapist’s office, sports store, or gym in your area. They may also be ordered online. When it comes to exercising while traveling, they are excellent friends.

The hips, glutes, and core muscles are used.

• Just above the bone, wrap the resistance band around your ankles.
• Squat down into a semi-seated position while keeping your feet beneath your hips. Keep your eyes forward and your shoulders back and down.
• Push against the resistance band with your heel as you step out to the side.
• Once again, take a step together until your feet are hip-width apart.
• Make sure your feet remain parallel while concentrating on using the hips to push the foot out. Your toe will likely want to take the lead. Maintain the band’s tension at all times.
• Take 10 to 12 more steps to the side.
• Take 10 to 12 steps back the opposite way.
• These can also be performed in a fixed posture if space is at a minimum. Just remember to use your foot to push your body out rather than resting only on it to perform all of the in and out actions.

Advanced: To build strength, start with lighter resistance bands and work your way up to heavier ones.

ClamShell

This clamshell workout is an excellent and simple approach to strengthen your hips, despite its rather silly appearance. Additionally, it might be a helpful tool for identifying hip imbalances.

No special equipment is required; all you need is a yoga mat or a sturdy, comfy surface.

Muscles used: hip abductor, gluteus medius, and hip

• Fold your arm like a pillow beneath your head while lying on your side.
• Place your knees and hips in a stack and bend them in until your hips are around 45 degrees forward.
• A long, neutral stance should be maintained, and your head, pelvis, and feet should all be in line.
• Keep your feet stacked, contract your core, and use your hip to twist your top knee upward and outward.
• After two to three seconds of holding this position, go back to the starting position.
• Work your way up to twenty repetitions of this exercise, completing ten on each side.

FAQs

References:

• Patel, D. (2023e, May 24). Manual muscle testing of Hip – Flexion, Extension, Abduction. Samarpan Physiotherapy Clinic. https://samarpanphysioclinic.com/manual-muscle-testing-of-hip/#Hip_abduction
• Patel, D. (2023q, July 8). Hip abduction and adduction – movement, ROM, exercise, muscles. Samarpan Physiotherapy Clinic. https://samarpanphysioclinic.com/hip-abduction-and-adduction/
• Cpt, K. S. (2016, December 19). Hip abductor exercises to prevent injury and promote strength. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/hip-abductor-exercises#Resistance-Band-Side-Walks