Athletes from all sports backgrounds deal with tight hips or hip pain at some point. Hip flexors are the important muscles that attach our thigh bone, pelvis, and lumbar spine, enabling us to lift our legs as well as keep our hips and lower back stable. Because of their important role in balance and movement, they are often overused, especially when it comes to sports like soccer and kickboxing. However, many patients neglect to stretch their hip flexors, not realizing they are tight until they are strained and cause pain.
A hip flexor strain will cause pain that may begin as a gradual ache in the front of the hip. If ignored, the pain will increase, making it difficult to walk without cramping or limping.
If your hip flexors begin to feel tight, you should be stretching them after your workouts. One simple and effective way to stretch your hip flexors is to pull your leg back behind you while lunging forward on the opposite leg. A physical therapist can help manually stretch and guide you through strengthening exercises to better target tight hip flexor muscles. The tighter your hip flexors are, the more likely you will strain them during physical activity.
If you start experiencing pain in your hip then you should stop exercise and stretching and see a hip orthopedist like Dr. Rupesh Tarwala. He can perform a physical examination to determine if you’ve strained your hip flexors and exactly what muscles are affected.
Dr. Tarwala can recommend a specific sports rehabilitation program that will stretch your hip flexors and restore stability to the area. A physical therapy program is effective in relieving symptoms of a hip flexor strain as well as preventing future injury to the area. With proper treatment, you can return to your sport in just weeks and perform better, pain-free.
Dr. Rupesh Tarwala is a highly experienced orthopedic hip specialist. New York Bone and Joint Specialists is a top rated, private Orthopedic and Sports Medicine practice with locations in New York City. The Orthopedic Surgery, Sports Medicine, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and Pain Management specialists routinely perform surgical and non-surgical treatments for professional athletes from across the United States.
