Why Physical Therapists Love The Bar Method for Patients with Hip Pain

This is the last post in a series of blog posts about why Physical Therapists love The Bar Method. Our first post was all about how The Bar Method can help patients with knee pain, and the last post highlighted the exercises best suited for patients with low back pain. Now it’s time we turn our attention to how The Bar Method can help people suffering from hip pain. Unfortunately, both our active and sedentary lifestyles alike have the potential to pose problems for our hips. Therapists treat many different types of hip issues, however the most commonly known (and familiar amongst our Bar Method clientele) are Sacroiliac Joint Pain (SIJ), and IT Band Syndrome. The common denominator with both of these hip issues stems from being out of alignment, which is primarily caused by muscle weakness and will cause pain. The Bar Method prioritizes alignment in every exercise, and strengthens the muscles of the body in a uniquely balanced way. Keep reading to learn more about our method, and how it can help if you’re suffering from hip pain.

Pelvic Instability is the Problem:

Whether It’s SIJ pain or IT Band syndrome, the culprit is most likely some degree of pelvic instability due to a muscle imbalance causing mal-alignment. If it’s SIJ, the pain manifests in the sacral area (central glutes), and for IT Band syndrome the pain lives on the outside of your knee or hip. Unfortunately, women are more lax in their ligaments than men, making them more prone to pelvic instability and hip pain. Even more bad news, once you get pregnant the ligaments become even more lax, and the likelihood for hip pain increases.

How The Bar Method Helps:

The Bar Method helps in several ways, however for the purposes of this article we will focus on two key benefits of our signature technique that will help patients suffering from hip pain.

1. Strong Glutes:

If you’ve read the last two posts in this blog series, you’ll notice the glutes continue to make an appearance. Having strong glutes is so much more than just a lifted seat. They are an important part of your core strength and underlying joint stability. The glutes cross the sacroiliac joint which helps to control pelvic stability. Naturally, when your glutes are stronger the stability of this joint is better and you’ll have less pain. If you suffer from hip pain associated with SIJ or IT Band Syndrome, get excited about the seat work in class. You’re working your way to a stronger body with less pain!

2. Functional Training:

The Bar Method is a type of “functional training.” It trains your muscles to work together and includes weight bearing exercises that improve your core strength, balance, and stability. If there’s an underlying weakness associated with hip pain, it’s typically going to manifest in the standing leg during weight bearing exercises. Your standing leg will have trouble supporting you. By taking class regularly, you build endurance in the major muscle groups supporting you. It will become easier to bear weight and work efficiently as you build up the strength. Keep at it! And since we all have a dominant side, The Bar Method takes it a step further by switching the starting side halfway through the month to help balance your strength.