Core Stability Testing – Hip Hinge
■ Stand with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent
■ Hold a pole from your head past your tail bone
■ Bend from the hips without letting the pole separate from the body
■ If pole moves from body you are going too far, Stay in a safe range of motion
■ Look for rounding the lower back: tight hamstrings or psoas
■ Going up on toes: poor core stability and poor motor control
■ Rounding upper back: tight pecs and lack of motor control throughout spine
■ Pain: can be a disc injury
This movement is so important because it promotes a neutral spine and spares the
lower back during movements such as dead lifting, squatting and stiff leg exercises. It should be
implemented into everyone’s daily activities because, most back injuries are result of repetitive
stress caused by improper sitting and bending methods. This exercise teaches how to stabilize
the back while generating power from the hips. If the client has trouble just do a partial range and
bend knees more. This is used as a test but it is also a great exercise.