Seated hip flexion works the muscles at the front of your hip (hip flexors) from a chair. You sit tall, lift one thigh off the seat with the knee bent, then lower it slowly. Because it is done sitting, it is a common starting point when standing exercises are still hard.

How to do the seated hip flexion

Sit tall on a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor, about hip width apart. Hold the sides of the seat lightly with your hands.
Keep your back straight and your shoulders relaxed.
Lift one thigh off the chair, bringing the knee up toward the ceiling. The knee stays bent and the foot comes off the floor.
Lift as high as you can while you still sit tall, without leaning back.
Lower the foot slowly back to the floor and relax. Do your reps on one side, then switch.

What you should feel

Work at the front of the hip and the top of the thigh on the side you lift.

Common mistakes

Leaning back or slumping to get the knee higher. The lift looks bigger, but the hip does less of the work.
Letting the foot drop back to the floor instead of lowering it.
Pulling on the chair with your arms. The hands are there for balance only.
Holding your breath.

How often

Many programs start with 2 to 3 sets of 10 on each leg, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this to you.

Stop and check with your physio if

You feel a sharp pinch at the front of the hip or in the groin.
Your lower back starts to hurt.
Chest pain or pressure, dizziness or feeling faint, a racing or irregular heartbeat, or being far more out of breath than the effort should cause.

From the clinic

Use a chair that will not slide or tip, ideally with its back against a wall. A chair without armrests, like the one in the video, leaves room for the leg to move.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try seated hip flexion. Sitting on a normal chair already bends the hip to about a right angle, so lifting the knee takes it past one, and many surgeons ask you to avoid that for the first months after some operations. Your physio may suggest a higher seat or a different exercise until then.

When this feels easy, marching on the spot takes the same knee lift into standing. Seated knee extension works the front of the thigh from the same chair.

If chest pain, pressure or tightness does not ease quickly when you rest, spreads to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, feeling light-headed or being short of breath, call emergency services straight away, as this can be a heart attack. If it eases quickly and none of these happen, get medical advice the same day, and do not exercise again until you have been checked. If you faint while exercising, call emergency services, even if you feel fine again quickly.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Seated hip flexion