Are you experiencing hip or back pain when sitting on the floor? Does it feel like a challenge to get up from that position due to tightness? Playing with your little one shouldn’t be painful or frustrating.

It’s a common complaint among many of our clients, and we hear you! If you’ve been sitting at a desk for long periods, your hips and back may be tight from lack of movement.

Sitting on the floor worsens tightness, causing discomfort. Tight hips round your back, weak muscles stress hips.

So WHY do I have hip and back pain when sitting on the floor?

A few different things could be going on here, but most often I find that this discomfort is caused by muscle guarding or limited mobility.

And there’s a good reason why your mobility is limited in the first place…

If you sit long at a desk, hips stay static, causing tight hip flexors.

Then when you get on the floor and cross your legs to play with your little one your hips feel even TIGHTER.

That’s because this is a tough position to get into with already tight hips.

When our hips are tight our bodies need to gain some flexibility from somewhere in order to make a position work…

And most often that leads to compromising your back. When sitting on the floor, we tend to round our backs to make up for the lack of flexibility in our hips.

The opposite of this can be true too!

Weak back muscles lead to collapsing and rounding, adding more hip stress.

And so the vicious cycle begins, where our back hurts because of our hips, and our hips hurt because of our back….

Is sitting on the floor BAD for hip or back pain?The short answer is no.

Sitting on the floor isn’t necessarily bad for your back or hips, however it can create aches and discomfort for some people.

If you are someone who does struggle with hip or back pain after sitting on the floor, there are things you can do that will reduce, or eliminate the problem…

Here are a few simple fixes to help you alleviate the pain you feel while sitting on the floor right now…

• Sit on a small stool, step, or yoga block

This is a great way to get into a criss-cross position with much less strain on your hips and back.

Keeping your balance on a small stool will activate your core muscles and help you maintain neutral alignment in your spine.

• Prop yourself against a wall, bookcase, or couch

A little bit of support will help you maintain neutral alignment in your back.

Keep yourself propped against that wall and avoid letting your low back round!

• Keep your knees lower than your hips

Give those hip flexors a bit of a rest, and keep your knees lower than your hips.

In other words, try to avoid hugging your knees in and tucking yourself into a pretzel.

This position will automatically lead to rounding at your back and shoulders, placing more stress on your back! Instead, extend your legs out straight, or prop a small pillow under your butt to elevate your hips a bit.

• Breathe

This may seem like an odd suggestion. Aren’t you already breathing every minute of every day? But try it for me. Really FOCUS on your breathing.

Use your ribcage to guide your breath into your back to help take the pressure off of your hips and lower back muscles.

This can be done in any position, but we suggest you try this sitting up tall, with a small stool propped under your seat.

These tips are a great way to start alleviating some back and hip pain while sitting on the floor.

But to truly FIX this problem, you’ll need the specialized (and individualized!) care of a skilled physical therapist to address exactly what your body needs.

These suggestions are short terms solutions.

Seek a lasting solution for back or hip pain to feel yourself again! We want to offer you a FREE 30 Minute Discovery Visit.

During this visit, you and one of our highly specialized Physical Therapists will sit down one-on-one to talk about your unique problems and create a customized plan for YOU so you can get back to living the life you love.

We’ll get you back to playing on the floor with your little ones again – without any pain or worry!
Start the journey to better health here!