Low back pain is one of the most common reasons people walk into a physical therapy clinic. And while many assume the problem is weak muscles or tight tissue, the root cause is often much simpler and more fixable.
It’s a hinge problem.
At Bax Performance and Rehab, we see this daily: people bending, lifting, and moving by flexing their spine instead of loading their hips. Over time, that pattern adds up. The spine takes stress it wasn’t meant to handle repeatedly, while the hips — your strongest joints — barely do any work.
If you want to protect your back, move better, and stay strong long term, learning how to hinge correctly is non-negotiable.
A hinge is a movement where the majority of motion comes from the hips, not the spine. Think about movements like:
Deadlifting
Picking something up from the floor
Kettlebell swings
Jumping and landing
Bending forward to tie your shoes
In all of these, the hips should move back while the spine stays relatively stable. When that doesn’t happen, the low back ends up flexing and extending repeatedly under load, and that’s where problems start.
Many people bend by rounding their spine instead of sitting their hips back. This often happens because of:
Poor hip awareness
Weak glutes and hamstrings
Limited hip mobility
Lack of core control
Never being taught how to hinge correctly
Even strong lifters can hinge poorly. Strength doesn’t automatically equal good movement. Without proper mechanics, being strong just means you can apply more force in a bad position.
Over time, this creates a cycle:
Poor hinge → spinal overload
Spinal overload → low back pain
Low back pain → guarded movement
Guarded movement → even worse mechanics
Breaking that cycle starts with retraining the hinge.
The spine is designed primarily for stability, while the hips are designed for movement and power. When you reverse those roles — letting the spine move excessively while the hips stay stiff — the system breaks down.
A good hinge allows you to:
Distribute load through the hips
Keep the spine neutral and supported
Reduce shear forces on the lumbar spine
Generate power efficiently
Move repeatedly without irritation
That’s why improving your hinge can significantly reduce back pain, even without directly “treating” the back.
One of the most effective ways to relearn a proper hinge is to lock the spine into position so the hips are forced to do the work.
Holding a weighted object close to the torso — such as a medicine ball — increases core engagement and helps prevent spinal motion. By gently bending the knees and pushing the hips back until they contact a wall, you create a clear target for hip movement while keeping posture intact.
Key focus points during this drill:
Maintain contact through the entire foot
Keep toes relaxed and on the ground
Avoid locking the knees
Keep posture tall through the chest
Let the hips move back, not the spine down
High-repetition sets (20–30 reps) work well as a warm-up or movement primer before training or daily activity.
Hinging isn’t just a gym concept. It’s a daily-life skill. Every time you:
Pick something up
Load groceries
Bend forward at work
Train in the gym
Prepare to jump or sprint
…you’re using a hinge pattern.
When the hinge is clean, your back stays resilient. When it’s not, your back absorbs stress it wasn’t meant to handle.
Over time, refining this pattern helps you move more efficiently and reduces cumulative wear on the spine.
For athletes, hinging is foundational to performance. Sprinting, jumping, cutting, and lifting all rely on powerful hip extension. If the hinge is weak or poorly controlled, athletes often:
Lose power
Compensate with the spine
Struggle with recurring back tightness
Feel stiff or restricted during training
Rebuilding the hinge improves:
Force production
Movement efficiency
Injury resilience
Confidence under load
It’s one of the highest-return movement patterns you can train.
You don’t need to overhaul your program to improve your hinge. Start by:
Using hinge drills as a warm-up
Focusing on quality before load
Practicing slow, controlled reps
Pairing hinge work with core stability exercises
Reinforcing the pattern consistently
A few minutes of intentional hinge practice each day can dramatically change how your back feels over time.
If you’ve dealt with persistent low back pain, stiffness with bending, or discomfort during lifting, it’s worth having your movement patterns assessed.
At Bax Performance and Rehab, we look at how your hips, spine, and core work together, not just where the pain shows up. By fixing the hinge, we often eliminate back pain at its source.
Here’s a visual breakdown of a hinge drill used to reinforce hip-driven movement and spinal stability:
Low back pain isn’t always about the back. Often, it’s about how you move.
Learning to hinge properly:
Shifts load to the hips
Protects the spine
Improves strength and performance
Reduces pain long-term
Master the hinge, and your back will thank you.
If back pain keeps coming back or you’re unsure whether your mechanics are solid, we can help.
📞 Call/Text: (925) 397-0399
📧 Email: Abigail@BaxPerformanceRehab.com
https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2013.4564
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26390220/
https://www.nsca.com/education/articles/kinetic-select/hip-hinge-pattern-training/