Did you know that there’s a relationship between the soles of your feet, inner thighs and your pelvic floor?
When your body is optimally aligned, this connection starts from the feet, flows seamlessly up through your body and helps to keep everything in working order.
But, in our culture, we wear shoes and sit a lot starting when we're young and this will often interrupt our foot-to-pelvic-floor connection.
Shoes with firm, immobile soles and/or raised heels lock up the feet and prevent them from moving properly when you walk. Over time, foot immobility leads to collapsing arches, crazy-tight calf muscles that lock up the lower leg, internally rotated femurs and adductor muscles (inner thigh muscles) that don't work.
And these are just a few of the alignment issues that come from wearing shoes and too much sitting.
I know it may sound a little dramatic, but these alignment issues are a reality in our culture and they are having a more negative effect on our health than we realize. I see it every day!
When you begin to understand the negative impact of shoes and chronic sitting on your overall quality of life, you'll see how simple little changes can start to reverse the related problems and improve whole body health.
Today’s exercise focuses on the inner thighs and your adductor muscles. This is an area where many people are holding tightness that stems from misaligned feet, pelvis, and femurs.
This stretch can reveal some surprises in the form of muscles you never knew were so tight, but it can also be a very relaxing exercise as you do it more often.
Triple check yourself to make sure your pelvis is in a neutral position (not arched or tucked) to ensure you get the maximum benefits.
I’d love to hear what you discover in the comments below! Enjoy!
See you in the studio,
Sydney
24 Responses
Sydney, How would you address hypertension of knees while performing this exercise?
Hi Joy, try opening the legs as wide as you can while still breathing easily, and without feeling an intense need to bend the knees. In the beginning, this might not be very far if there’s a lot of tension in the inner thighs and inside of the knees. Hope this helps! Thanks for your question!
Your stretches are always some of my faves!
Thanks Wenonah! 🙂
Sydney I have severe pain in my upper thigh, inner putter front and behind the knee. I was told that it could be fascia late. What is a good exercise to ease the pain.?
Hi Catherine, I would recommend seeing a health professional about the pain first and ask them if the exercises in these posts would be appropriate for you.
The Hip Stretch for Chronic Sitting
The Flamingo Stretch
How To Hydrate and Release Hips
The Calf Stretch
Hope you are feeling better soon! Thanks for your question.
Hi Sydney, this stretch feels great. I have terrible pes anserine bursitis on both knees. I’m in physical therapy, but what else can I do to get past this ? I just had my second baby 6 months ago and picking her up night and day wreaks havoc on my knees. Thanks in advance !
Hi Hannah, Check with your physical therapist first before adding these exercises into your day.
(Stretching the muscles on either side of your hamstrings can help make hamstring stretches themselves more effective, so I’ve included a posterior hip and calf stretch below.)
Here’s my favorite calf stretch:
https://pilatestonic.com/2015/if-you-wear-shoes-you-need-this-calf-stretch/
A seated hip stretch:
https://pilatestonic.com/2014/hip-stretch-for-chronic-sitting-syndrome/
Here’s a one of my favorite hamstring stretches:
https://pilatestonic.com/2015/the-flamingo-stretch-for-chronic-sitters-and-heeled-shoe-wearers/
Thanks for your question! Hope these are helpful!
Well, what is a pelvis neutral position? How do you know when you’re in it?
That’s a great question Elizabeth! This video goes into more detail about neutral pelvis.
https://pilatestonic.com/2013/core-connections-part-2-pelvis-spine-alignment/
Can relaxing the adductors help to reverse collapsed arches?
Hi Jamie, The adductors do have a relationship with the arches of the feet, but collapse in the arches often has more to do with the pelvis. Here’s a link to a Katy Bowman explaining with a more detail:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTZREaLhV28
Thanks for your question!
Hi Sydney,
In 2018 I was in a MVA and I suffered an L1 burst fracture. I had to have an emergency multilevel spinal fusion where I now have two rods and nine screws. I have always been super athletic and have recovered well. However, I have been waking up in the middle of the night frequently over the past 6 months with excruciating, crippling muscle spasms in my inner thighs. I am hoping this stretch will help with this.
I hope it helps, too. Make sure to go slow with it and start with a small range of motion. I’d love to know if it helps. Thanks for sharing, Audrey!
Hi Sydney,
I liked the video about the inner thighs stretch. The reason being I get inner thighs cramps very often at night, especially after walking a lot during the day, like trekking. Will this stretch help in preventing thigh cramps? Or is there any other useful stretch for thigh cramps? Kindly let me know. Thank you.
Thanks for your question! I can’t say for certain it will prevent the inner thigh cramps, but I do think it will help. The video in the exercise linked below would be helpful too:
https://pilatestonic.com/2022/heres-an-easy-exercise-that-will-help-you-maintain-and-regain-hip-flexibility/
Sydney thank you for the leg up the wall I did not know that my guys sold on my feet and my inner thigh can work together to strengthen my pelvic floor.i am on my feet 7:00 hours 5 days a week and my legs hurt some times .
So glad this was helpful, Mary. Thank you for letting me know!
This was very helpful.
So glad this was helpful, Rebecca. Thanks for letting me know!
Hi Sydney, I have no choice but to sit all day at my job, I try to get up as often as possible and I’ve been going for walks in the morning and on my lunch break. The last two days I wore flats (as opposed to tennis shoes, I rarely wear heels) & I noticed when I walked my feet were sliding to the side a bit. Last night I woke up twice due to an excrutiating inner thigh cramp on my left leg & it still hurts now
Thanks for sharing, Tracy. I’m sorry to hear about the inner thigh cramp—those are no fun. It’s great that you’re finding ways to move more throughout the day, even though work requires sitting most of the time. Here are a couple of videos you might find helpful:
https://www.pilatestonic.com/2022/heres-an-easy-exercise-that-will-help-you-maintain-and-regain-hip-flexibility/
https://www.pilatestonic.com/2020/your-glutes-were-made-for-walking/
Hi Sydney
I have MS and exercise lots and see chiropractor and osteopath regularly. My main issue is right leg hyperextension and foot drop. My inner thigh tendon is very tight and I have weak hamstrings and hip flexors. Tight inner thighs and quads as well! What would be the key things you would focus on? Thanks 🙏
Hi Georgina! Definitely check with our osteopath first on this.
From what you describe, for your right side with the hyperextension and foot drop, I would start with side-lying strength work for your hips that would eventually transition into standing.
For the tightness, finding stretches that feel good to you are key. Here are some to consider:
For the feet:
https://www.pilatestonic.com/2023/say-goodbye-to-foot-pain-simple-exercises-for-better-mobility/
For hamstrings and calves:
https://www.pilatestonic.com/2021/dramatically-improve-your-strap-stretch-with-a-few-simple-moves/
For hip flexors:
Seated in a Chair Hip Flexor
https://www.pilatestonic.com/2023/soothe-your-tight-hip-flexors-with-a-simple-seated-stretch/
Kneeling Hip Flexor
https://www.pilatestonic.com/2021/dramatically-improve-your-strap-stretch-with-a-few-simple-moves/
Thanks for your question and wishing you all the best!