Hip Flexors – Tight? Weak? Or just a Pain in the Back(side)?

Your hip flexors are a set of muscles needed for many aspects of everyday activities such as running, walking, driving, sitting, and jumping. At Fire & Earth we commonly see and treat patients with troublesome hip flexors, many of them unaware that they are the cause of their problems. 

The hip flexors are made up of the Psoas Major and Iliacus, both large muscles that sit internal to the pelvis. The hip flexors attach the lower back from just underneath the ribcage to the front of the leg bone. They work seamlessly together to arch the lower back whilst also raising the legs towards the chest. 

Hip flexors are continuously worked throughout the daytime when we take part in usual activities. It is usually when we don’t work them enough or use them too much too soon that they can cause pain. 

 

If you have a sedentary job such as an office worker or driver then you may find that prolonged sitting can create shortening and contracture of the musculature over time. This can cause weakened muscles and pulling in the tendons resulting in additional curvature in the lower spine and tilting in the pelvis. This places extra work on the spinal discs and joints causing pain. 

 

Working your hip flexors too much, through a sudden return to high intensity sport such as running, hill climbing and cycling after long periods of rest, no gradual introduction and lack of conditioning can also cause unpleasant discomfort in the front of the hips and groin. 

Passive treatments and short-term fixes such as sports massages, electrotherapy and using a massage gun can help most people by relieving symptoms like tightness in the affected areas. At Fire & Earth we have found that best way to provide long term relief is through correct treatment and strength training. Strength training works by challenging the hip flexors through activation and over time they will work more effectively, become more powerful and reduce pain levels that you experienced when they were weak and tight.