The hip flexor muscles play a crucial role in limb movement and provide stability to the lumbar spine. Any injury, strain or weakening in these muscles, which extend from the lumbar vertebrae (lower vertebrae of the spinal cord) to the front part of the hip region, causes acute pain.
Hip flexor pain is common in active individuals, athletes and even those leading a sedentary lifestyle. It can become debilitating, making even routine tasks difficult.
A certain amount of tightness in the hip flexors — a set of five muscles: iliacus, psoas, pectineus, rectus femoris and sartorius — is required for lumbar spine stability and an optimum range of motion. Extremely tight hip flexors could cause lower-back pain and compromise isometric strength (the amount of force generated by the muscles), which especially affects athletic performance.
Causes of hip flexor pain
“Hip flexor pain is triggered mainly by a sedentary lifestyle, which results in the muscle not being used for a long time, or due to the overuse of muscles, resulting in a spasm,” says Sultana Farishta, senior physiotherapist and occupational therapist from Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
“Other than the overuse of muscles and a sedentary lifestyle, hip flexor pain is also caused by prolonged standing as it directly affects the antigravity muscles. Though the hip flexors are not anti-gravity muscles, they remain contracted during standing. Prolonged sitting also causes pain as the muscles tend to get weak due to it.”
Hip flexor pain prevention
One of the most common symptoms of a strain or wastage in the hip flexor muscles is a severe pain that makes it difficult to climb stairs, walk or run. In severe cases, the pain can also occur while getting up from a chair.
The pain mostly starts as a mild ache in the front part of the hips. It slowly progresses to severe pain in the hip and lower back, along with muscles spasms.
Though muscle wastage or strain is mostly seen in the middle-aged and older people, even youngsters are susceptible to stiffness of the hip flexors.
“Diet, exercise and rest all together play an important role in the health of the muscles,” says Farishta. “So, the diet should not only be rich in carbohydrates, but [also have] an appropriate combination of carbohydrates and proteins which are essential for muscle health. Secondly, if somebody does excessive physical activity immediately after a sedentary period or without a proper warmup, then a strain in the hip flexors can occur. Rest is most essential.”
A moderately active lifestyle with a good combination of diet and exercise can help prevent hip flexor pain and also ensure overall health of all the muscles.
Exercises for hip flexor muscles
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- Lunge
- Lying single-leg raise
- Lizard pose stretch (yoga)
- Sitting butterfly stretch
- Cycling while lying down
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Takeaways
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- The hip flexor muscles play an important role in day-to-day activities like walking, running and jumping. They also provide stability to the lumbar spine (lower vertebrae of the spinal cord).
- Any strain or wastage in these muscles triggers hip flexor pain and can make it difficult to do activities such as climbing stairs and even getting up from a chair.
- A balanced combination of diet, exercise and rest is essential to maintain muscle health. While the intensity of exercise should depend on the capacity of the individual, the diet should have an appropriate combination of carbohydrates and protein.
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