How to Deal with Hip Flexor Pain
What Is a Hip Flexor Muscle?
Hip flexors connect the lower back to the pelvis, hips, groins, and thighs.
These muscles run along the front of your upper thigh and are responsible for making your hip joint flexible by moving and tightening. When you extend your leg at the knee, these muscles help stabilize your spine, stretch, and press together to allow your body to move.
What causes hip flexor pain?
Hip flexor pain occurs when the muscles and tendons are overworked or pulled beyond their limits from sudden movements such as sprinting or kicking. Having tight hip flexors is most likely to occur when you do not warm up before exercises. A strain occurs when muscles are injured.
When muscles tense up in response to trauma, such as a fall or car accident, they result in pain and or injury.
A continuous kicking motion engages the quadriceps, which is a typical movement in runners, martial artists, and cyclists often experience hip flexor pain and or injuries. Football players, soccer players, and hockey players usually suffer from hip flexor pain/injuries as well due to making a last-minute change in direction or movements.
The hip flexors can become tight from sitting for prolonged periods of time or from having a sedentary lifestyle. Pain in the hip flexors can also be caused by poor posture. When one side of the body is put under excessive pressure from alignment issues in the hips or legs, pain can result in those areas.
What are the symptoms of a hip flexor injury?
A hip flexor strain or injury can cause a variety of symptoms depending on where it occurs and the extent of the damage. Symptoms can range from mild aches to sharp aches. They can also include:
Running or walking with pain
Your leg is becoming more painful when you bend it toward your chest
Cramping or spasming of the muscles
A feeling of tightness in the hips, groin, or thighs
Thigh or hip pain when stretching
A tightening of the muscles after rest
The pain site may be swollen or bruises
What can I do to prevent a hip flexor injury?
Practice good posture to strengthen your core
Dynamic stretching (stretching in motion) to lengthen your hip flexors
If sitting all day, remember to get up and walk around once in a while
How can an orthopaedic specialist help with hip flexor issues?
It may be necessary to consult an orthopaedic doctor if none of the above remedies have relieved your pain. You will undergo a physical examination to determine if you have strained, torn, or damaged tendons, ligaments, or bones.
If you suffer from hip flexor pain, your physician may recommend physical therapy. In order to prevent future injuries, a physical therapist will help you increase movement, strengthen the muscles, and promote flexibility.
At San Antonio Orthopaedic Specialists we understand what it is like to experience hip flexor pain and how it can adversely affect your daily life. To help prevent future injuries, our team is here to help you develop a treatment plan just for YOU!