Tight hip flexors are a common complaint among individuals. Sitting for too long is the usual suspect, but highly active individuals can experience tightness. Here is a hip flexor test to determine if there is tightness:
However, if the hip flexors are not tight but there is still discomfort, soreness then the most common cause is weak hip flexors.
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Figuring out what’s making them so tight varies from person to person. Some individuals are more susceptible to tight hip flexors than others. Here are common reasons why individuals experience discomfort, soreness, and pain:
Many are surprised by how tight hip flexors can affect the rest of the body. This is because of the many different muscles in the hip flexor group. They help lift the leg at the hip, help stabilize the spine, and can affect the neck and shoulder area.
The test is a great way to determine if the hip flexors are tight. Before attempting to stretch the hip flexors, it is key to determine that the flexors are tight or weak. If the hip flexors are not tight, stretching them will not help. Instead, they need to be strengthened. Individuals can confuse tight hip flexors with weak ones and become frustrated when there is no relief after stretching.
Here are some easy stretches for the hip flexors.
These stretches can be done 2 to 4 times throughout the day keeping the flexors from tightening up.
If dealing with pain in the hips when stretching or sitting, there could be something other than tight hip flexors, or in addition to tight flexors. If exercising or stretching, causes discomfort/pain, stop the activities and contact a chiropractor for a possible hip adjustment. Chiropractic medicine specializes in the entire musculoskeletal system.
Combined with a hip adjustment, massage therapy will help relieve pain, stiffness and improve circulation. Many find relief from a massage after an adjustment, while others receive a massage before the adjustment.
A less common issue with hip flexors is cracking or popping during activity/s. Individuals can experience this while they are exercising or running and is usually caused by a tendon or muscle sliding over the bone. It can be difficult to determine the cause of the cracking/popping without seeing a medical professional. In some cases, it could be gas escaping the hip joint, while in others, it could be an issue that needs to be addressed by strengthening, massaging, and working out the muscle or tendon.
For those with weak hip flexors that is causing the discomfort, here are some exercises:
Physical inactivity is a primary factor in the progression of sarcopenia. Regular resistance exercise can help maintain muscle mass and help build muscular strength. Individuals that are more sedentary can exacerbate the effects of sarcopenia.
Aging comes with a loss of motor neurons caused by cell death. This leads to a decrease in muscle fiber numbers and size. This decrease leads to:
Poor diet and exercise are known to promote and increase the storage of visceral fat. This type of fat produces pro-inflammatory cytokines which can accelerate muscle breakdown. Obesity and muscle weakness are associated with high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This is made worse by decreased muscle mass and plays a role in the progression of sarcopenia.
The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the musculoskeletal system’s injuries or disorders. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP, CIFM, CTG*
email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com
phone: 915-850-0900
Licensed in Texas & New Mexico
Blue Cross Blue Shield. 2015.“A study of cost variations for knee and hip replacements in the U.S.” www.bcbs.com/the-health-of-america/reports/study-of-cost-variations-knee-and-hip-replacement-surgeries-the-us
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2017. “Vital Signs: Prevalence of Doctor Diagnosed Arthritis and Arthritis-Attributable Activity Limitation. The United States, 2013-2015. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6609e1.htm
Spine. 1983. “Hip-Spine Syndrome.” pubmed.ncbi/nih.gov/6623198
Anesthesia & Analgesia. 2005. “Sacroiliac Joint Pain: A comprehensive review of anatomy, diagnosis, and treatment.” pubmed.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/1624408.
Professional Scope of Practice *
The information herein on "Tight Hip Flexors and How To Release" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.
Blog Information & Scope Discussions
Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.
We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*
Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.
We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.
We are here to help you and your family.
Blessings
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*
email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com
Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807, New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182
Licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN*) in Florida
Florida License RN License # RN9617241 (Control No. 3558029)
Compact Status: Multi-State License: Authorized to Practice in 40 States*
Presently Matriculated: ICHS: MSN* FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN* CIFM*, IFMCP*, ATN*, CCST
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