If the external rotators of your hip are tight it is possible to have outwardly pointed toes and an inability to inwardly rotate the leg.

The lateral rotators of the hip are:

Piriformis
Gemellus Superior
Obturator Internus
Gemellus Inferior
Obturator Externus
Quadratus Femoris
Gluteus Maximus
Gluteus Medius (Posterior Fibers)

Logic dictates that if these are short you would obviously stretch them and that this should fix the problem right? 

But hold on there Sparky!  In my experience, people are more likely to have a weak posterior chain and are more susceptible to internal than external rotation of the leg.  In fact, weak glutes (part of the external rotator group) are one of the primary causes of anterior rotation of the pelvis so it is fairly uncommon for them to be tight.

Before you make a snap judgment and start stretching, you’ll want to make sure that the muscles themselves are actually short.  Another possible scenario is that you have a condition called hip/femoral retroversion where the head of the femur is in such a position as to make your legs slightly externally rotated.  Since this is a structural problem, all the stretching in the world can’t fix this.

Stretching the glutes when they’re not tight can actually lead to an anteriorly rotated pelvis, knee pain, back pain, and even pronated feet.

In plain English, a failed assessment can lead to stretching the wrong things and a whole lot of unnecessary pain that will prevent you from training and getting wicked strong.

Do a quick search on YouTube for Craig’s Test to see if you have this condition before you stretch your external rotators.  It just might save you a lot of grief.

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Also, if you want to learn more about lower body imbalances check out Muscle Imbalances Revealed HERE.