Hip flexor strain or tightness can occur when the flexor muscles in your hip are torn, injured, pulled, or strained. Many activities may result in this condition and the main symptom is usually sharp pain.
Damages to the area of the hip often vary from a minor injury that does not require any treatment, to a severe injury where the muscle is no longer connecting to the bone.
Signs That You Are Suffering From Tight Hip Flexors
The most obvious sign is when the muscles in this area start to feel tight. Even when you try stretching them they won’t move much. Yet there are other symptoms that you may not know about. Tight or strained hip flexors can interfere with other areas of the body. If you are experiencing tight or strained hip flexors you may also have these symptoms:
- A clenching or a cramping feeling in your muscles in the upper legs
- Your upper legs feel sore and tender
- Sharp, sudden pain in your pelvis or hip after trauma
- Muscle spasms in your thighs or hip
- Inability to carry on sprinting, jumping, or kicking
- Discomfort and reduced mobility when you move, including limping
- Constant feeling of pain and discomfort in the area of your upper legs
- Bruising and/or swelling around the thigh and hip area
Stiffness or tightness after periods of being stationary (after sleeping or resting)
There is also a test you can do to determine tightness in your hip area. Lie on a table or bench, pulling one of your knees up to your chest. Hold the knee in place allowing the other leg to slowly drop over the bench or table edge. It can help to ask someone to hold your leg, which will allow you to do this slowly.
If you are able to extend your thigh fully so that it is eventually in a parallel position to the ground, and your knee can bend to a 90-degree angle without your thigh trying to rise up, your flexors are fine. If you find any of these movements difficult, it is an indication that your hip-flexor muscles are tight. The Unlock Your Hip Flexors Review – Reduce Pain, Improve Mobility and Overall Health blog post might have the right information to improve your hip pain.
What Causes Hip Tightness?
For many people, one of the primary causes of hip tightness is when they sit for many hours at a time. If you sit behind a desk for many hours every day, the iliopsoas will start to shorten, which causes tightness in the flexors.
Certain athletes are more susceptible to tightness. Runners use their hip flexors, particularly the iliopsoas for lifting each leg up with every stride. This constant and repetitive shortening of these muscles is not compensated for (using lengthening movements). This is often the main reason why many runners suffer from tight and strained hip flexors. A weak core is another issue that can contribute to stiff hip flexors. Since these muscles connect to as well as stabilize the area of the spine, they will take over when your core is weak. This often leads to pain and tightening.
