The Aletha Mark - Hip Hook
Aletha Health | Hip Hook System The Aletha Mark - Hip Hook Psoas and Iliacus Tool The Aletha Mark is the current generation of the Hip Hook, a hand-held hip flexor tool built from three named parts: a tip, a platform and a handle, joined by a rotating mechanism. It weighs 10 oz and measures 10 in. long, 4.75 in. wide and 3.75 in. tall, so the whole tool sits in one hand. Aletha builds it in the USA from a polycarbonate and ABS blend with a thermoplastic elastomer surface, brushed stainless steel and molded silicone, in black or white. Aletha sells it as the Hip Hook System, so the box holds two tools: the Mark itself, and an Orbit, the 4 in. sphere you lie over on the floor at the front and the back of the same hip. The tip is shaped to reach two separate muscles that sit behind the front of the pelvis, the psoas and the iliacus, and the rotating mechanism is how a single tip reaches both of them. With the platform flat and the tip placed further from your pelvic bone, the tip stands against the psoas. Placing the tip closer to the bone, letting it sink in for a moment and then pressing down on the handle curves the tip around the bone toward the iliacus, which lies on the inner surface of the pelvis where a flat tool cannot follow it. The area you are working in is about the size of a hand. Put your hands on your hips, trace the front pelvic bones, then slide just inside the bone above the hip crease. You use the Mark standing, with the platform against a wall or a doorway and your body leaning gently in, or lying over it on the floor with gravity supplying the pressure. Either way the tool stays still for 90 seconds while you breathe slowly, at a pressure you can stay relaxed at, and you work one to three spots per side each day. Three pieces of the current tool are worth naming on their own: a redesigned tip, a raised handle and a silicone pivot cover over the rotating joint. The Orbit that travels with it is one solid ball with nothing to set, and Aletha puts it ahead of the Mark in its own order of use, on the same side of the body in the same session. Aletha covers the Mark for 365 days from purchase against defects in materials and workmanship, and it is one of only two tools that sits inside Aletha's 60 day return window. Everyone using it needs to be 18 or over, and the cautions further on are worth your attention before the first hold. Size and weight 10 x 4.75 x 3.75 in. 10 oz, held in one hand Shaped for Psoas and iliacus Two muscles behind the front of the pelvis Hold 90 seconds One to three spots per side each day Warranty 365 days Inside Aletha's 60 day return window Tip, platform and handle on one rotating joint Standing against a wall or lying on the floor Black or white, built in the USA Eighteen and over, with cautions to read first The mechanism The Tip Curves Around the Pelvic Bone Two muscles sit behind the front of your pelvis at different depths and on different surfaces of the bone. The Mark reaches both with one tip and a joint that changes the angle of that tip while the platform stays where it is. 01 One Tip Reaches Two Separate Muscles Your hip flexor is made up of the iliacus and the psoas. The two are intimately connected near the hip and they remain separate muscles, with separate attachment points and separate nerve supply. The Mark picks between them by where you set the tip and what you then do with the handle. Tip further from the pelvic bone with the platform flat stands the tip against the psoas; tip closer to the bone, sunk in first and then driven by the handle, curves it around the bone toward the iliacus on the inner surface of the pelvis. Psoas and iliacus 02 Press the Handle and the Angle Changes The rotating mechanism joins the handle to the tip, so pushing the raised handle down rotates the tip upward and inward. A flat tool has one angle and keeps it for the whole hold. The Mark starts flat, which is how the tip gets into the space just inside the pelvic bone, then changes its angle once it is already there. A molded silicone pivot cover sits over the joint where the two halves meet, and the platform is the part that stays put against the wall or the floor while the angle moves. One moving joint 03 Ninety Seconds Without Moving or Rubbing Pressure is held constant for at least 90 seconds in total, without moving the tool and without rubbing it along the muscle. The benchmark for how hard to lean is whether you can completely relax and take slow, controlled, deep breaths at that pressure; if you cannot, you have asked for too much and should back off the wall. Work one to three spots per day on each side of the body. Aletha's own guidance on timing is that consistency counts for more than frequency, and that a session before a workout is the one to keep if you keep only one. At least 90 seconds 04 Where the Pressure Comes From in Each Position Standing puts the platform against a wall or a doorway and you lean in gently, which gives you more visibility and finer control over how much you are asking for. A yoga block behind the platform buys extra space between your body and the wall if you want the angle shallower. On the ground you lie over the tool and gravity does the work, and moving your knee outward controls how quickly you descend onto the tip. Both positions run the same 90 seconds at the same moderate pressure. Wall, doorway or floor In the hand Ten Ounces and One Moving Part The Mark is a single piece of hardware with one joint in it and nothing else that moves. Its measurements, its named parts, its colors and the cover it carries are what a buyer weighs up before ordering one. 01 Ten Inches End to End The Mark measures 10 in. long, 4.75 in. wide and 3.75 in. tall, and it weighs 10 oz. 02 The Platform Takes the Wall The flat platform is the face that rests against a wall, a doorway or the floor while the tip does the work. 03 The Handle Drives the Rotation Pressing the raised handle down rotates the tip around the pelvic bone and toward the iliacus. 04 A Silicone Cover Over the Pivot The rotating joint carries a molded silicone cover at the point where the two halves of the tool meet. 05 Two Colors and One Country Aletha builds the Mark in the USA and sells it in black and in white. 06 A Four Inch Orbit Travels With It The Hip Hook System puts an Orbit in the box with the Mark, a 4 in. ball for the front and the back of the hip. 07 One to Three Spots a Side Work one to three spots per day on each side of the body, a spot at a time across the area. 08 Covered for 365 Days Aletha's warranty runs 365 days from purchase against defects in materials and workmanship. In detail Two Positions and a Hand-Sized Area Standing The Platform Against a Wall or a Doorway Standing is the position with the most visibility, because you can see where the tip is going and you control the pressure with how far you lean. You set the tip in place first, rest the platform flat against a wall or a doorway frame, then lean in gently and let the tip sink in before anything else happens. A yoga block placed between you and the wall opens up extra room if the angle feels too steep for your height. Once the tip is where you want it you stop moving entirely and hold for 90 seconds, breathing slowly the whole time. Tip set in place before the platform meets the wall Pressure controlled by how far you lean in A yoga block adds space between body and wall Ninety seconds of stillness once the tip has sunk in Wall or doorway Most visibility 90 seconds On the floor Lying Over the Tool and Letting Gravity Press On the ground your own weight does the work the wall does. The tip goes into place, you lie face down over the Mark, and the tool sinks in under gravity while you stay still. How fast you descend onto the tip is governed by your knee: taking the knee outward on the working side lets you down more gradually, and bringing it back in adds load. The floor position asks less of your balance than standing does, and it leaves both of your hands off the tool. The hold is the same 90 seconds at a pressure you can breathe through. Body weight and gravity supply the pressure Knee position governs the rate of descent Both hands stay away from the tool Same 90 second hold as the standing position Gravity assisted Knee controls descent Finding the spot A Hand-Sized Area Inside the Front Pelvic Bone Finding the place to put the tip is a matter of anatomy and not of guesswork. Put your hands on your hips and trace the front pelvic bones with your fingers until you have the ridge of bone under your hand. Slide your fingers just inside that ridge, above the hip crease, and the area you land on is roughly the size of your own hand. Everything the Mark is shaped for sits inside that patch, so one tool covers both muscles without needing a separate shape for each. Work across it a spot at a time, and leave the rest of the patch for another day. Trace the front pelvic bones with your hands on your hips Slide just inside the bone, above the hip crease The working area is roughly hand-sized One to three spots inside it per side each day Above the hip crease Hand-sized area Safety Who Should Not Use the Mark The cautions here come with the Mark itself and they are worth reading before the first hold. Consult your doctor before use, and do not use the Mark at all if any line applies to you. Serious or fatal injury can occur by using any Aletha product incorrectly or if you have a pre-existing condition. Aletha products are not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18, and adult supervision should be provided for anyone under that age. Aletha products are not intended for commercial use. Do not use if you have, or suspect you have, abnormal sensations, numbness or altered sensation, pressure sensitivity, or an allergy to the materials. Do not use if you have a bleeding disorder, bruise easily, or take blood-thinning medication. Do not use if you have a skin condition in the area, including a rash, wounds, blisters, infection or tumors. Do not use if you have a neurologic condition affecting sensation, extreme pain, hypertension, diabetes, or cancer or affected lymph nodes in the area. Do not use if you have vascular insufficiency or vascular disease, a pacemaker or an implanted defibrillator, a history of embolism, varicose veins or deep vein thrombosis. Do not use if you have severe cardiac, liver or kidney disease, osteopenia, osteoporosis, osteomyelitis, scoliosis or spinal deformity, an acute fracture or injury, recent surgery or a surgical site or hardware in the area, or a connective tissue disorder. Do not use the Mark at the front of the hip if you have an inguinal hernia or have had an inguinal hernia repair, or if you are pregnant. Consult your doctor before use, follow the instructions exactly and make no modifications, stop immediately at the first sign of discomfort, and check equipment for damage before each use. Stop and reposition if you feel tingling, numbness, burning, shooting sensations, or throbbing. These tools are not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent, treat, or mitigate any medical condition or disease. The family Five Aletha Tools Side by Side Every Aletha tool is the same transaction with a different shape: something is placed on the body, pressure comes from a wall or the floor or your own limbs, and it is held. The Mark is the only one of the five with a joint that changes the angle of the contact point while you are on it. You are here The Mark (Hip Hook) A hand-held hip flexor tool with a tip, a platform and a handle on a rotating joint, shaped for the psoas and the iliacus at the front of the hip. 10 in. long, 4.75 in. wide, 3.75 in. tall, 10 oz Rotating tip, angled by pressing the handle down Pressure from a wall, a doorway or the floor Ships with a 4 in. Orbit in the same box Returnable inside Aletha's 60 day window Currently viewing The Range A neck and chest tool carrying three pairs of tips at three widths, shaped for the upper trapezius, the suboccipitals at the base of the skull and the pectoralis minor. 5.06 in. long, 3.94 in. high, 9 oz Three pairs of tips spanning 1.63 to 3.06 in. Body weight from the floor, or a wall for the chest Returnable inside Aletha's 60 day window See the Range The Orbit A 4 in. sphere you lie over on the floor, shaped for the psoas and the hip crease at the front of the hip and the glutes and the piriformis behind it. 4 in. across, one shape, nothing to adjust Lain on, with the floor supplying the pressure Does not reach the iliacus the way the Hip Hook does Not returnable inside Aletha's 60 day window See the Orbit The Band A closed resistance loop you put around your legs for clam shells, glute bridges, hip pulses, planks, squats, hamstring bridges, glute kickbacks, fire hydrants and band walks. 30 to 50 lb of resistance Resistance set by how far the loop is stretched No pressure point and no 90 second hold Not returnable inside Aletha's 60 day window See the Band The Full Body System The Mark, the Orbit, the Range and the Band in one box with a printed guidebook, covering the six keystone muscles. Four tools and a printed guidebook in one box Six keystone muscles, hip crease to base of skull Black or white Mark, with a black Range Only the Mark and the Range are returnable See the Full Body System Questions What Buyers Ask About the Mark Is the Aletha Mark the same thing as the Hip Hook?+ Yes. The Mark is the current generation of the Hip Hook and Aletha still leads with the Hip Hook name, so the two names describe one article. Aletha's own marketplace listing runs both names together on a single title. What you receive is the tool described here: a 10 oz hip flexor tool with a redesigned tip, a raised handle and a silicone pivot cover. What muscles is the Aletha Mark shaped for?+ The psoas and the iliacus, the two muscles that make up the hip flexor. The psoas runs down from the spine and passes in front of the hip. The iliacus lines the inner surface of the pelvic bowl, behind the ridge of bone you can feel at the front of your hip. They are separate muscles with separate attachment points, and the Mark's tip is shaped to reach each of them from the same starting place. How do you set the Aletha Mark for the psoas?+ Place the tip further from your pelvic bone and keep the platform flat, so the tip stands vertically and does not curve. Rest the platform against a wall or lie over the tool on the floor, let the tip sink in, and hold still for 90 seconds. The handle stays where it is for this one, since the psoas is in front of the bone and needs no curve to reach. How do you set the Aletha Mark for the iliacus?+ Place the tip closer to your pelvic bone with the platform flat to start, let the tip sink into place for a moment, then press down on the handle. That rotation curves the tip around the bone and turns the contact point inward, toward the inner surface of the pelvis where the iliacus sits. Hold the new angle for 90 seconds without moving or rubbing. How long do you hold the Aletha Mark in one spot?+ At least 90 seconds in total, holding constant pressure without moving or rubbing. Pressure should be moderate: the benchmark is whether you can completely relax and take slow, controlled, deep breaths while the tip is in place. Work one to three spots per day on each side of the body, and use it daily or a few times a week as suits you. How big is the Aletha Mark and what is it made of?+ 10 in. long, 4.75 in. wide and 3.75 in. tall, at 10 oz. The build is a polycarbonate and ABS blend with a bio-compatible thermoplastic elastomer surface, brushed stainless steel and molded silicone. Black and white are the two colors, and Aletha builds it in the USA. Who should not use the Aletha Mark?+ Anyone under the age of 18, and anyone on the caution list that comes with the tool. Do not use it if you have an inguinal hernia or have had an inguinal hernia repair, or if you are pregnant. Consult your doctor before use if you have a pre-existing condition of any kind. Serious or fatal injury can occur by using any Aletha product incorrectly. Can the Aletha Mark be returned?+ Yes. The Mark and the Range are the only two Aletha tools that fall inside Aletha's 60 day return window, counted from the delivery date, with the item like-new and its original packaging kept. The Orbit and the Band sit outside it, and the Orbit that arrives in the box with the Mark sits outside it in the same way. Returns on your order with us are handled under our own terms. What warranty comes with the Aletha Mark?+ 365 days from the date of purchase, covering defects in materials and workmanship for the original purchaser. Aletha either puts the tool right or supplies a replacement, at its own discretion. The cover excludes superficial damage, misuse, accident, liquid exposure, normal wear, unauthorized modification, and open-box or internet-auction purchases. How is the Aletha Mark different from the Orbit?+ Shape, and what that shape can get to. The Orbit is a 4 in. sphere you lie over, and a sphere cannot curve around the inside of the pelvic bone, so it does not reach the iliacus the way the Hip Hook does. The Mark's tip can be turned inward by the handle once it is past the ridge of bone. The Orbit covers the hip crease and the glutes, and the Mark is the one that reaches the iliacus. Both shapes arrive together, since an Orbit comes in the box with the Mark. Does the Aletha Mark need power or assembly?+ No. It arrives ready to use and works entirely on your own body weight against a wall, a doorway or the floor. The single moving element is the pivot between the handle and the tip, covered by molded silicone. There is no battery, no motor and no cable. Does the Aletha Mark come with anything else?+ Yes. An Orbit comes in the box. The Hip Hook System is the Mark and a 4 in. Orbit packed together, along with a printed safety guide. The ball is the shape Aletha uses ahead of the Mark on the same side of the body, so the two are meant to be owned together. Ordering a separate Orbit alongside this one leaves you with two balls, and an Orbit falls outside Aletha's 60 day return window, so the basket is worth a second look before you check out. Where is the Aletha Mark built, and what comes in the box?+ Aletha builds the Mark in the USA. The box holds three things: the tool itself, a 4 in. Orbit, and a printed safety guide, which is the document to read before the first 90 seconds. For the four tools together, see the Aletha Full Body System.
