Guide

Tight hips, in plain terms

The hip is rarely one muscle. The front of the hip, the deep rotators at the back and the hamstrings all take part, and the lower back moves with them. This guide describes how I work through them in an appointment.

How I look at the hip

Sitting keeps the front of the hip short for hours at a time. The deep rotators sit at the back, the hamstrings run behind, and the lower back moves with all of it. One muscle rarely tells the whole story, so I move through them in turn rather than aim at a single spot.

Why assistance helps

Alone, a stretch asks the muscle to lengthen against its own guard. You reach the first resistance, hold, and stop there. Assisted stretching adds two things you cannot give yourself: a second pair of hands to hold the rest of the body still, and a moment when the muscle has just worked and lets go more easily.

What happens on the table

On the table, dressed, I take the hip in one direction at a time: the front, the deep rotators, the hamstrings, the inner thigh. Each one goes to the point of resistance, then, with PNF, you push gently for a few seconds, release, breathe out, and I take it a little further. Two or three rounds, then the next angle. How PNF works.

What I look for first

How you get up from a chair. Whether the pelvis tips forward when you stand. Which leg you put your weight on. Where the movement stops when you bring a knee to your chest, and whether it stops at the front or at the back. That reading happens at the start of the first appointment of the two weeks of mobility and sets what we do with the rest. It is a practical read of how you move, not a medical assessment.

Tell me first

A hip that hurts sharply rather than pulls, a recent injury or operation, a hip replacement, or a pregnancy (write to me before booking: see the FAQ): tell me before we begin, and I adapt or leave that area out. This is bodywork, not treatment: I do not diagnose, and a session does not replace care from a doctor or physiotherapist.

How a session runs

The two weeks of mobility is two 60-minute appointments within two weeks for $99 in total, close to Neutral Bay or at the studio. After that, a 60-minute appointment is $160 at home, in the garden or on a hotel terrace, or $140 at the studio. The Assisted Stretch Membership is a weekly 60-minute appointment, at the studio ($120 a week) or at your place ($140 a week). Same practitioner each week, so the starting point is never guessed.

Book the two weeks of mobility Assisted stretching, the full page

Written by Farid, the practitioner. Last checked 23 October 2026. All guides.