What is hip flexor strain?
Hip Flexor Strain is a muscle strain felt in the front part of the hip. It is often associated with speed training or compensating for another injury, especially Achilles tendonitis or plantar fasciitis.
In this post we will look at hip flexor strain treatments and getting you back on track and pain free.
To see if you have strained your hip flexor muscle try the following maneuver: while standing, flex your hip such that your knee comes up towards the chest, then have a friend apply moderate pressure to pull the knee down while you resist. This test should result in pain similar to your symptoms.
can I still run with hip flexor strain?
Now, you may be able to run just fine at slower speeds and shorter distances, but as the distance or speed increases; watch out – it can bite. Be sure to fully recover before resuming progressive training. Don’t rush to cover more distance – just keep working on pain free running.
Three Hip flexor strain treatments
1. Gentle stretching of the hip flexor muscles usually accelerates healing. Hold the stretch for thirty seconds, repeat three times, and perform this routine two to three times per day.
2. Check to see if your hip pain could be from compensating for decreased calf strength. In order to do this – perform twenty to thirty heel raises while standing on one leg and then compare to the other leg. If there is a substantial difference then work on strengthening the calf muscles
3. Trunk strengthening is essential, especially for more chronic injuries. The hip flexors attach to the spine and will perform optimally with good trunk strength. The hip flexors propel us forward as we run and must be balanced by well conditioned trunk muscles.