Easy Stretches To Improve Tight Or Weak Hip Flexors

Hip flexors are a group of muscles that are in and around the hip. This grouping of muscles helps the legs and trunk move together. Your hip flexors can be tight or overactive, or in some cases weak. In either case you are more prone to injury, muscle strains, or hip pain.

The hip flexors are made up of four muscles. The iliopsoas muscle is actually two muscles that stabilize the lower back. The rectus femoris muscle runs from the pelvis to the knee, it is also known as the quad muscle that is used when doing a squat. The sartorius muscle runs from the pelvis to the knee and helps flex the knee and leg. The pectineus muscle is also known as the groin muscle. These are the muscles that make up your hip flexors. Their job is to help the hip joint flex and stabilize the spine.

Overactive or Tight Hip Flexors

Overactive or tight hip flexors are very common. They can be caused from sitting too long during the day. Sitting can cause your hip flexors to shorten. Other causes are running, or having a weak core. Pregnancy in women can also cause your hip flexors to become overactive. This can be caused by the extra weight gained during pregnancy, pelvic alignment that can be shifted during pregnancy, hormones, or even posture.

The first symptom you may experience with a tight hip flexor is that the muscles feel tight. You may also experience tightness or aches in your lower back, neck tightness or pain, hip pain, decreased range of motion, pain in your glutes, or cramping in your upper thighs.

Tight hip flexors can lead to some complications. Complications include excessive lower back arch, hamstring strain, back discomfort, sciatica, knee pain, and foot pain. During pregnancy tight hip flexors can cause tension in your pelvic floor which can lead to symphysis pubis dysfunction, bladder leakage, or prolapse.

Weak Hip Flexors

Some people can suffer from weak hip flexors. This can cause changes in your gait and posture. It may also cause knee pain, hip pain, or back pain. Weak hip flexors can lead to injury in your spine, legs, and knees, due to other muscles having to over compensate due to the weak hip flexors.

One cause of weak hip flexors is lack of exercise. Even though too much sitting can cause tight hip flexors, sitting can also cause weak hip flexors because those muscles are not being used. Osteoarthritis, lateral transpsoas surgery, or cerebral palsy are other causes of weak hip flexors.

How To Confirm Your Condition

There are two exercises you can perform to see if you have tight hip flexors or weak hip flexors. One is a seated knee raise. You sit in a chair, back straight, legs flat on the floor. While someone is pushing on the tops of your legs you try to raise your knee up as high as you can. If you have weak hip flexors you will not be able to resist the added pressure on your leg and get your leg lifted. Another exercise to test your hip flexors is a lying knee raise. Lying flat on the ground, with your legs straight out, you bend one leg at the knee, bringing your knee towards your chest with your hands guiding. When you let go, if it is difficult to slowly release your knee away from your chest you have weak hip flexors.

Ways To Improve Your Hip Flexors

If you have weak hip flexors the goal is to strengthen them, that way you can help prevent injury.

Using ankle weights in your exercises, or just even having them on when you go for a walk can help strengthen hip flexors.

Mountain climbers on foam sliders is another exercise that hits a lot of different muscle groups.

Lunges are another exercise for weak hip flexors.

Wall psoas hold, which is where you stand straight with legs hip width apart. You bend one leg up at the knee up to your waist, hold, then lower slowly back to the ground. Repeating on the other side.

Skater squats are done with legs hip width apart, squatting down keeping buttocks parallel to the ground, then as you come up you stand on one leg, the raised leg you lift off to the side then lowering it back into place.

Placing a resistance band at your ankles then working each leg outwards can help strengthen hip flexors.

Stretching has been shown to help alleviate tightness in tight hip flexors. You can foam roll on the hip flexor muscles to help relax the muscles. Doing a pigeon pose, butterfly stretch, or a low lunge are all stretches that can help stretch out the tightened hip flexors.

Along with stretching, doing exercises that strengthen the hip muscles, glutes, and core are the best option for overactive hip flexors. With overactive hip flexors your glutes and core tend to be weaker. Strengthening them will help stop your hip flexors from overcompensating resulting in them becoming overactive or tight. Exercises that can be beneficial are glute bridges, single-leg squats, mountain climbers, or lying leg raises.