What is a hip flexor strain?
A hip flexor strain is an injury to one of your hip flexors, the muscles where your thigh meets your hip. They’re a type of muscle strain — a tear in your muscle tissue. They’re one of the most common injuries, especially among athletes.
Strains are classified with three grades to indicate how severe they are. Most people can recover by resting their muscle and using at-home treatments like ice and over-the-counter medicine. If you’re feeling pain for a few weeks after your injury or have severe symptoms, see a healthcare provider.
Muscle strains vs. pulled muscles
There’s no difference between a strained muscled and a pulled muscle. People use the terms interchangeably. The same is true for a strained muscle and a torn muscle. They’re the same injury with the same symptoms and treatments.
Hip flexor strains and other injuries
There are lots of common injuries that cause muscle pain similar to hip flexor strains, including:
Talk to a provider if you experience any sudden, sharp pain in your body, especially if it happens during physical activity like a workout or playing sports.
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Who do hip flexor strains affect?
Hip flexor strains can affect anyone. They’re common in athletes and people who are especially active.
Even if you don’t play sports or workout often, you can still strain your hip flexor, especially if you suddenly exert yourself much harder than usual.
How common are hip flexor strains?
Hip flexor strains are a common sports injury. Any athlete can injure their hip flexor, but the most common sports that cause hip flexor strains include:
- Running.
- Hockey.
- Football.
- Soccer.
- Martial arts.
How do hip flexor strains affect my body?
Your hip flexors run across the bottom of your abdomen and down the top of your hips. Like all of your muscles, your hip flexors are made of thousands of small fibers woven together. These fibers stretching and pressing together is what allows your body to move when you squeeze a muscle.
When you overuse a muscle, the strands of muscle fiber are stretched beyond their limit and tear apart. If you’ve ever tried to use an old bungee cord to hold something in place you’ve seen this happen. New bungee cords — and healthy muscle fibers — have plenty of give and stretch. But if you use them for too long or suddenly jerk on them too hard, the elastic fibers in the bungee cord will start to pull apart. It’s the same way in your muscles. Strains are what happen when some of the thousands of fibers in your muscles are pulled beyond their limit and tear.
In addition to being painful, a hip flexor strain might make it hard to walk or move without pain. Your hip and leg might feel weak or unstable. They might also cause other symptoms like bruising.
FAQs
Follow these steps for the first few days or weeks after your injury:
- Rest. Stop any activity that causes pain.
- Gentle stretching to extend your hip can help with recovery.
- Ice the area for 20 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days. Do not apply ice directly to your skin. Wrap the ice in a clean cloth first.
Self-Care for Hip Flexor Pain
Avoiding activities that put stress on the hip, including any sports that involve running, kicking, or turning. A person may want to consider limiting going up or down stairs or walking long distances; however, activities should not be completely avoided.
What can be mistaken for hip flexor pain? ›
Lower abdominal strains are sometimes mistaken for hip flexor strains because the pain can be in the same location.
What aggravates a hip flexor strain? ›
Football, hockey, running, and martial arts are more likely to create this type of injury. However, there are also aggravating factors that can lead to hip flexor strain include, such as: Weak muscles surrounding the hip flexors. Not warming up/ poorly conditioned muscles.
Should I stretch my hip flexor if it hurts? ›
Light exercise is encouraged to relieve hip flexor pain. There are several exercises recommended to stretch, strengthen, and reduce hip pain. These exercises do not require any equipment and can easily be done at home.
How to tell if a hip flexor is torn? ›
Hip flexor tear or strain symptoms
- Sharp pain in the hip or pelvis after trauma.
- Sudden hip pain.
- Upper leg feeling tender and sore.
- Muscle spasms.
- Swelling and bruising on the thighs or hip.
- Tightness and stiffness after long periods of rest.
- Cramping in the upper leg.
- Pain when lifting your leg to the chest.
Pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), and acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be helpful for hip flexor pain. It's important to make sure that you are safely able to take these medications, based on your medical history.
Should you massage a strained hip flexor? ›
In a word - yes. Generally speaking, massage therapy can be highly beneficial for relieving pain and tightness in any of the body's muscles, and the hip flexors are no different.
Why is my hip flexor hurting so bad I can barely walk? ›
Causes of hip flexor strains include: Overuse: Repeating the same motion — whether at work or during an activity like playing sports — can lead to overuse syndrome. Not stretching or warming up before exercise: Stretching before exercise gradually increases how much stress you put on your muscles.
Does hip flexor pain ever go away? ›
Road to Full Recovery: How Long Does a Strained Hip Flexor Take To Heal. The recovery time for a hip flexor strain will depend on the severity of the injury. It typically requires one to three weeks of rest and treatment to recover from mild conditions fully.
Most orthopedic surgeons subspecialize in specific treatment areas, so you'd want to see a surgeon who focuses on hips. A sports medicine specialist is usually an orthopedic surgeon or primary care doctor who treats sports injuries and can also help to maximize athletic performance.
Is walking good for hip flexor strain? ›
After the immediate strain settles down and you can tolerate the pain and discomfort, it's time to get moving! Gentle motion and physical activity are appropriate, the goal is to get back to your normal routine and be able to tolerate simple things like walking, sitting, stairs, etc.
How to sit to relieve hip flexor pain? ›
Maintain Proper Posture: Sit with your feet flat on the ground and your knees at a 90-degree angle. Keep your back straight, shoulders relaxed, and head in a neutral position. Sitting Positions: Avoid crossing your legs or leaning over to one side, as it can exacerbate hip tightness.
Should I keep walking with hip pain? ›
Things like going on a daily walk or going swimming will help to improve your general health and take the strain off your hip, by strengthening other muscles in the body. Sometimes people stop exercising once their pain clears up, but when they do it's common for them to start having problems again quite quickly.
What exercises should I avoid with hip flexor strain? ›
Avoid exercises involving repetitive hip flexion, the motion involving bringing your hip or leg up toward your chest. If doing squats, keep them shallow and hold off on lunges entirely, until you receive a diagnosis from your doctor. Do not work through pain. When walking or running, pay attention to pain.
Why is my hip flexor pain not going away? ›
Hip flexor pain are muscle strains and minor ligament sprains can be caused by overuse. These less serious acute injuries generally heal in a short period of time with minimal treatment. However, chronic or recurring hip flexor pain may be a sign of a more serious injury.
