Tight hip flexors can make moving around challenging, and even painful. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to loosen your hip flexors and ease the pain.
Tight hip flexors are usually caused by sitting for long periods, which keeps the psoas muscles in a shortened position. These muscles can also be weak, which puts additional strain on the joints.
Stretches
Hip flexors are a group of muscles that help you walk, bend, and swivel your hips. If they’re tight, you can feel pain or discomfort in your lower back.
The hips are also home to a number of surrounding muscles, including the gluteus maximus and the hip abductor muscles (gluteus minimus and medius). While these muscles have different functions than your hip flexors, they usually work together in tandem to move your body.
One of the reasons these muscles get tight is because of long periods of sitting, says HSS physical therapist Kimberly Baptiste-Mbadiwe. Sitting for long periods of time puts your thighs into a compressed position, which shortens the hip flexors.
You can use stretching exercises to loosen up your hip flexors and prevent injury. But be sure to stretch your muscles lightly and avoid stretches that pierce or tear, says Lakes.
Ideally, you should perform these stretches for 20-30 seconds before you release and switch to the next exercise. If you’re having trouble releasing, try to repeat the stretch several times until you feel relief.
If you’re feeling very sore, or if you have a serious injury, be sure to seek medical attention first. The best thing to do is to see a physical therapist or chiropractor for treatment, according to Baptiste-Mbadiwe.
Another way to ease tight hip flexors is through mobility drills. These exercises can be done anywhere, and can provide a great workout for the entire body.
The couch stretch is a classic mobility drill that can be performed almost anywhere, and is especially effective for tight hip flexors. To do this, you need to sit in a chair and extend one leg forward and place the top of the other leg onto a bench. Holding this position, rotate your pelvis posteriorly and activate a glute squeeze to increase the stretch in the iliopsoas muscle as you breathe into the stretch.
You can also do this stretch by laying on your back, with both legs flat on the mat and pulling one knee in towards your chest while driving the other heel into the floor. This exercise is very effective for stretching the right hip flexor as well.
Exercises
Tight hip flexors may cause pain or discomfort in the hip area. These tight muscles can also inhibit your mobility, which could lead to a number of problems.
The hip flexors are a group of muscles that run along the front of the upper leg, including the iliacus, psoas major and rectus femoris. When they become weak, it can cause a range of issues, like lower back and knee pain.
Having weak hip flexors can also lead to muscular imbalances, explains Jacqueline Sekely, MS, PT, DPT, CPT, founder of Jacqueline Sekely Fitness in Los Angeles. Muscle imbalances can occur due to several factors, such as a person’s lifestyle or sports activities, she says.
For instance, many people sit for long periods of time at their desks, which can cause the iliopsoas muscle to shorten. As a result, this tightened muscle group can create imbalances that can cause other areas of the body to become weak and stiff, she explains.
Another factor that can contribute to tight hip flexors is overuse of the muscles. For example, if you are an avid runner or cyclist, you likely use your hip flexors to lift your legs in order to increase stride length.
These exercises can help you overcome these issues and improve your flexibility, strength and mobility. You can start with stretches and gradually progress to strengthening your hip flexors.
A good place to begin is with a simple move called the split squat. This exercise is easy to perform and helps to stretch the iliopsoas, which can be the culprit behind tight hip flexors.
You can also try the seated butterfly stretch, which is done lying down with your arms at your sides. This stretch will loosen the thighs and hips and promote movement in the spine.
This is a great exercise to do after a workout, and it will help you strengthen your hip flexors. You can also do it to warm up or as part of a training program.
Tight hip flexors are often the result of a combination of factors, so it’s important to find the best exercises for your unique situation. For example, if you’re a beginner and don’t yet have the necessary flexibility to do some of these moves, you can start with a gentle routine, like this one that uses yoga stretches.
Strengthening
The hip flexors are a group of muscles that help to flex your hip and bring it toward your chest. They include the psoas major and the iliacus.
Besides being a great workout, strengthening your hip flexors can make an enormous difference in how you feel and function. It can help you maintain good posture, improve core stability, reverse the effects of sitting, reduce pain and injury, and increase athletic performance.
Strengthening your hip flexors can be done by doing isolation or compound exercises that target the entire range of motion for these muscles. You can also modify the tempo and resistance of these exercises to help you maximize your results.
One of the most effective ways to strengthen your hip flexors is to do an isometric exercise. This is an exercise that can be performed laying on your back (supine) or standing with your hands against a wall for some support.
Start with a light resistance and if you feel any strain in your hip flexors, slow down or stop the exercise. Repeat a few times before adding weight.
Another way to strengthen your hip flexors is by performing exercises that involve squats. These can be bodyweight squats, goblet squats, front squats, back squats, overhead squats, and more.
These exercises will not only help you strengthen your hip flexors, but they will also improve your lower back and hamstring muscles as well. They will also improve your balance and decrease the chance of falling.
Performing these exercises will also improve your flexibility and make it easier to perform movements like the squat and deadlift. They will also help you reduce tightness in your hip flexors and prevent future injuries.
For the best results, do these exercises several times per week and note your progress after each session. You should also try to give your hip flexors adequate rest between sessions.
Tight hip flexors are a common problem among people who spend too much time in a sedentary position, but they can be prevented and even cured with regular stretching and strength training. Tightness in the hip flexors can lead to back pain, poor posture, weak abdominals and glutes, muscle imbalances, and other issues that may inhibit your ability to enjoy an active lifestyle.
Massage
Among physically active people, tight hip flexors are one of the most common causes of hip pain. The hip flexors are a group of muscles that help you flex your hips and extend your legs, and they work in conjunction with the gluteus maximus, hamstrings and bicep femoris to stabilize your pelvis and lower back.
Many physical therapists, chiropractors and massage therapists use stretching or massaging the hip flexors as a way to treat these muscles in the short term. Typically, they focus on hip stretches to improve range of motion in the flexors and also on myofascial release to relieve tension that is causing pain.
If you’re suffering from tight hip flexors and want to avoid surgery, the first thing you need to do is stop doing the things that cause them to become overstretched. These include sitting in an office chair all day, driving, lifting heavy objects or doing repetitive movements like computer work.
In addition to avoiding these activities, you should make sure to stretch the hip flexors regularly and do other exercises to strengthen them. A great place to start is with basic and advanced standing and kneeling lunges, according to Joseph E. Muscolino, a chiropractic physician and professor.
He also recommends a full-body bridge, which helps you build strength in the hip flexors while stretching both the upper and lower body. Try a half-bridge first, and progress into a full bridge when you feel comfortable.
To release the tightness and ease the pain, massage therapists often use myofascial release, where they apply steady yet slow pressure over the hip flexors. This technique lengthens the muscle and reduces pain.
A good massage therapist will also help you develop a routine of self-massage to address any muscle imbalances that may be causing tightness in the hip flexors. This includes techniques such as the prone stretch, which has you lying on your back and the massage therapist pulling your thigh toward her chest.
Using a foam roller or other tool to roll over your hip flexors is another effective option for releasing this muscle. The roller will help you identify any trigger points and focus on those areas.
