Hip Flexors: Tips and Techniques to Strengthen or Loosen Them!


hip flexors strengthening loosening tips

Hip flexors rarely get the attention they deserve, despite being a group of key muscles that are imperative for stabilizing the pelvis and spine so your body can move without risking injury. You need them for pretty much every movement – from walking and standing to more explosive movements, such as jumping and running. Unfortunately, since they are rarely talked about, most people don’t even know that they exist or the important job they serve. In fact, tight hip flexors can be an invisible trigger for a vast array of physical, emotional and mental health concerns. They can impact several areas of the body, causing tightness, sharp pain, cramping, sore muscles, swelling and bruising, and can also lead to emotional stress and mental turmoil. This is especially true when they start causing hindrances in carrying out everyday tasks. It isn’t all bad news though, as your hip flexors can be strengthened and improved just like any other muscle in your body.

In this article, we cover everything there is to know about your hip flexors and how you can eliminate and prevent a vast array of health concerns naturally with a few simple exercises.

All About Your Hip Flexors

Located near the top of your thighs, your hip flexors are a group of muscles that are key factors in how your lower body moves. These muscles help you flex your leg and bring your knee towards your body in what is known as a flexion movement, which is a bending motion that reduces the angle between two body parts. As such, this movement is essential for walking, kicking, bending and standing, and it allows your hips to swivel as needed. However, when your hip flexors are too tight, it can be difficult for your body to make this move without uncomfortable and sometimes even painful symptoms.

The group of muscles that make up your hip flexors are:

  • Psoas major: a deep muscle that connects your spine to your leg and that runs from your lower back through your pelvis to the front of your hip and attaches to the top of your thigh bone (femur)
  • Iliacus: a flat muscle that is found deep in the pelvis and that is linked from the pelvis to the thigh bone (femur)
  • Rectus femoris: a quadriceps muscle that attaches your pelvis to the knee-tendon
  • Pectineus (groin muscle): a flat muscle that is at the top of your inner thigh
  • Sartorius: a long thin muscle that goes down the thigh from your pelvis to your knee

Signs Your Hip Flexors are Tight

Your hip flexors can become tight for a variety of reasons, with the most common being sitting too. A lack of flexibility and strength can also be culprits, as well as direct trauma to the hip area. Tight hip flexors can also seemingly come out of nowhere, presenting all kinds of signs and symptoms. The most obvious sign that your hip flexors are tight is feeling pain, cramping or tension in the area at the front of your hip meets the top of your thigh, or the surrounding areas. However, depending on the severity of your condition, you may also experience more intense symptoms, such as sharp pain, bruising, swelling and muscle spasms. You may even experience possible injuries, such as a muscle tear or sprain. These sensations will be felt in the area

Here are some of the signs and symptoms to look out for:

  • Tenderness when pressing on hip flexors
  • Muscle cramping
  • Muscle spasms
  • Sharp pain
  • Swelling
  • Bruising
  • Difficulty walking
  • Limping
  • Pain or pulling in the hip area
  • Pinching sensation in hip when bringing knee to chest
  • Popping or clicking in the hip
  • Pain in glutes
  • Lower back aches and pains

While the best thing to do to determine if you’re struggling with tight hip flexors is to visit a physical therapist, there is a simple test you can do at home to see if there is any tightness.

Method: Start by laying on your back and pull your knee towards your chest while allowing the other leg to relax. Try to get your upper thigh parallel to the ground with your knee bent at 90 degrees.

If you are unable to do so, there is some tightness in your hip flexors.

How to Treat Hip Flexor Injuries

Tight hip flexors can produce far more than uncomfortable symptoms and can lead to more serious conditions and injuries that range from a tear or strain to hip flexor tendonitis (inflammation) and Psoas syndrome. Depending on the severity of your injury, you may need to seek medical treatment. However, in most cases, hip flexor injuries can be worked out at home with a simple method called the PRICE method, which consists of protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation, and some pain relief medication. If you’re still experiencing pain and swelling or your symptoms are worsening after using this method, it’s highly recommended that you visit a doctor as this could be an indication of a more serious injury.

But there is no harm done in trying to heal it yourself first. Here is a more detailed look at how to use the PRICE method:

  1. Protect your injury from getting worse by using a brace or support
  2. Rest your hip as much as possible within the first couple of days
  3. Ice to reduce swelling (20 minutes every three to four hours)
  4. Compress the area by wrapping the injured area or wearing compression shorts to reduce swelling
  5. Elevate your leg to be higher than your heart as much as possible to reduce inflammation and swelling

If you have any underlying health conditions, such as kidney disease, heart disease or high blood pressure, or have experienced ulcers or internal bleeding, skip this at-home healing method and see a doctor to rule out any other potential problems.

Exercises For Healing Hip Flexor Injuries

If you are dealing with a hip flexor injury, the good news is that stretches and exercises can be an effective form of treatment for tight hip flexors and hip flexor injuries. It’s recommended to use them daily and in combination with the PRICE method for maximum healing. These exercises can be done at home with no equipment, but you may want to use a yoga mat, yoga strap, rolled up towel or cushion for added support and comfort.  Below are some of the most common stretches prescribed for repairing hip flexors and strengthening them to reduce the risk of potential injuries moving forward:

Seated Butterfly

  1. While in a seated position, place your feet together in front of you with your knees relaxed and fallen to each side
  2. Keeping your back straight, shoulders down and abs tight, slowly bend forward from the hips until you feel tension
  3. Hold the position for 30 seconds
  4. Return to the starting position

Lunge

  1. Get in a standing position with your body straight, shoulders back, chin up, and your abs tightened, and step forward with one leg
  2. Lower your hips to the ground until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle, making sure that your front knee extends past your ankle
  3. Squeeze the glute of the back leg and drive the knee back into the ground as you allow the hip to sink down and forward
  4. Return to the starting position and repeat with your other leg

Forearm Plank

  1. While in a forearm push-up position, lower your hips while keeping your body straight from head to toe
  2. Tighten your abs and squeeze your glutes
  3. Hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds
  4. Release, pause, and repeat

Standing Stretch

  1. While in a standing position, bend your right knee and bring your right heel up toward your butt
  2. Hold your right foot with the right hand, and gently pull so your knee is pointed towards the floor
  3. Hold for 30 seconds
  4. Repeat on your other leg

Active Stretch

  1. Standing on your left foot with the toes slightly turned inward, place your right foot on the seat of a chair in front of you
  2. Hold your arms out straight in front of you at chest level, slowly raising them straight up into the air as you squeeze your butt and gently push your pelvis forward
  3. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other leg

In addition to using these stretches and exercises, you may want to incorporate soft tissue release techniques and trigger point therapy. Soft tissue release is an advanced form of massage that specifically targets the damaged muscle fibers, and trigger point therapy focuses on releasing individual trigger points that are compressed and causing pain. Both are performed by professionals and can be found with a quick search online or by looking up alternative health therapies in your area. They are also covered by some insurance plans. 

You don’t have to pay a hefty price for weekly trips to your physical therapist, nor do you have to subject yourself to potentially dangerous prescription medications. Stretching regularly can help heal and prevent hip flexor injuries by keeping the group of muscles healthy and loose. If you are struggling with an injury already, using the PRICE method can be an effective way to repair your muscles and ease your pain quickly and naturally. There are also many natural health alternatives that serve as excellent options for hip flexor pain and injuries, including acupressure, acupuncture, cupping, yoga and massage. You can also check out the Unlock Your Hip Flexors program.

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