Do you ever get tightness in the front of the thigh or hip?
It can be pretty uncomfortable!
This area of the thigh is where your quadriceps and hip flexor muscles are located. These muscles help to straighten the knee and bend the hip.
Without proper functioning, it would be very difficult to walk, stand up, climb stairs, or bend down to pick something up from the floor.
When tightness strikes in this region, there is more than one way to stretch it.
Today, we’ll be talking about the supine hip flexor/quadriceps stretch with a strap, specifically.
This will not only provide a successful stretch to the targeted region, but can be done while keeping the spine in a neutral position, which is great, especially if you experience back pain.
Here’s how it goes!
Step 1: Starting Position:
- While this can be performed on the sofa, you may get better range while lying on your bed.
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- Use a non-elastic strap, such as the StretchStrap, belt, sheet, or towel.
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- Once the strap is looped around the leg you intend to stretch, lie flat on your back on the surface of your choice.
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- You’ll be positioned on the edge of the surface, closest to the side that will allow the leg to be stretched to hang off the edge.
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- Position the opposite leg so that the knee is bent and the foot is flat on the surface. This will best support the back.
Step 2: The Stretch:
- Brace the core by gently pulling the belly down towards the surface. This will ensure the back remains flat and avoids arching.
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- While keeping a hold of the strap, gently allow the leg to be stretched to slowly move off the edge of surface, so that it is hanging.
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- Gently pull the strap to bring the foot towards the bed, allowing the knee to bend.
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- You should feel a stretch along the front of the thigh from the hip down to the top of the knee (it’s okay if you feel a stronger stretch in one region over another; it all depends on where you’re the tightest).
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- Hold the stretch anywhere from 30-60 seconds. Repeat twice.
That’s it!
A couple tips for you:
1. If you feel a bit of an awkward torque in the knee or need more range for the hip, you can try to re position the angle your body is in. Think of it as being in more of a diagonal angled towards the edge of the surface.
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2. You can always modify the range you’re stretching in if it feels too intense. Remember, keep it as gentle as you can.
Check out this brief video to follow along with some cueing and tips:

