Hip Flexor Health 101

First, what are your hip flexors?

Well… The hip flexors are a group of muscles in the hip region, including the iliopsoas, rectus femoris, and sartorius, responsible for flexing the hip joint. They play a crucial role in activities like walking and running, facilitating movement of the thigh towards the abdomen. Regular stretching can help maintain flexibility and prevent tightness.

They are a huge point of discussion because, as they play a huge role in how your pelvis sits, they’re often the culprit in back, hip and groin pain.

As we spend a lot of time sitting, these muscles spend a lot of time in the shortened position. This causes tension on the pelvis, pulling it forward - called an anterior tilt. To make matters worse, we also don’t operate symmetrically, meaning that one side may be shorter and weaker than the other. This then further has the effect of causing a lateral tilting of the pelvis too. This can stretch out the muscles of the back leading to hypertonicity of muscles, very often the quadratus lumborum (QL). The muscles will be over activated for too long, and eventually spasm. Many people with lower back pain are victims of this.

The pain can be completely debilitating.

So, what do we do to keep things strong, flexible and healthy?

This is a good place to start…

1. First we want to open up the hip flexors. A Simple split Squat Stretch stretch will work well.

   1. tall chest

   2. gently drive hips forward

   3. 30 seconds/side

2. Then add an Incline Couch Stretch Stretch. This will hit the rectus femoris too. focus on full flexion on the knee, while extending the hip

   1. tall chest

   2. lean back

   3. progress back to bench

   4. 30 seconds/side

3. Then we want to strengthen the hip flexors using a Hip Flexor Pull

   1. keep the back flat on the ground

   2. start in full extension

   3. drive the knee to chest

   4. use a band or cable machine

   5. 20 reps/side

4. Finally, start activating and strengthening the hip extensors, aka the glutes. A simple Figure 4 Hip Bridge is a great drill.

   1. cross one leg over the other will help stabilize the hip, and make the movement easier.

   2. focus on a 90 degrees knee when the hip is fully extended.

   3. this drill will train the hips and proximal hamstrings, which will help stabilize the hip position.

   4. 20 reps/side

This routine should be done 1-3 times per day, 4-7 times per week. Let me know how it goes or msg us with any questions!