Hip Flexor Pain: It’s a nasty injury

So, you’ve got some hip flexor pain?

Your pain is most likely a muscle strain, resulting from a mobility issue.hip flexor pain

To understand exactly what’s going on, let’s run through some basics about your hip flexors:

  • They’re a group of muscles used to pull the knee upward.
    • Try it for yourself: Stand up straight, now lift your knee up in front. Sorry if that hurts.
  • The muscles are located where the highest part of your thigh meets with the upper corner of your groin.
    • The picture shows the general area highlighted in red.

If your hip pain doesn’t match up with the picture, but instead feels like it is on the outside of your hips, you may be having IT Band pain. That’s a different injury.

Hip Flexor Injury Symptoms

Ask yourself these questions to see if the symptoms match up with the pain in your hips.

  • Do you feel sharp pains near your hip flexors during activities with quick muscle movements?
    • Most people with strains notice hip flexor pain while running or changing direction.
  • Is your pain localized in the upper corner of your groin area?
  • Tenderness: Does it hurt when you apply pressure to the area?
  • Does the area feel tight when you’re sitting in a chair?
  • In extreme cases there is swelling and/or bruising. Notice any?

In order to judge the severity of your hip flexor strain, use this rule-of-thumb: The more pain, the worse the strain. If you don’t think this rule is a ground-breaking revelation, I agree with you.

The “Evil” Causes of Hip Flexor Injuries

Okay, so they might not be all that “evil” but they are a pain in the neck. Here is what usually happens:

  • There is an overload of the muscles resulting from quick accelerations. This is common when:
    • Sprinting
    • Jumping
    • Changing Direction
    • Kicking, etc.

You get the picture. Just remember “overload = strain.”

Most of the time, strains are caused because people have poor mobility, they moved incorrectly, or they did not warm up properly.

If you have mobility issues, you’re just as likely to suffer a hip flexor injury cleaning your bathroom as you are while running from the police.

Sometimes, people injure their hip flexors just by sneezing. It just goes to show that it’s a dangerous world out there, so be prepared.

With that said, don’t let the possibility of an injury prevent you from living your life.

Awesome Hip Flexor Pain Treatment

Now you know what’s wrong, so here’s what needs to be done to fix your injury:

  • Temporary pain relief:
    • R.I.C.E.—Rest, ice, compression, elevation
      • It’s basic but it works for hip muscle injuries. You should do it at least until the pain is minimal.
    • Anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, can be used to relieve the pain.
  • Fixing/preventing hip strains completely:
    • If you don’t want a repeat injury, you need to do some flexibility and mobility work. Plain and simple.

As a final note, remember that hip injuries rarely heal completely unless you take action. You need to fix the problems that caused the injuries in the first place. It’s your body, so your recovery is up to you. :)