Everything You Need to Know About a Hip Flexor Strain
What is a Hip Flexor Strain?
A hip flexor strain happens when one of the muscles at the front of your hip, mainly the iliopsoas or rectus femoris, gets overstretched or torn. It’s a common injury in sports that involve kicking, sprinting, or sudden movements, causing pain at the front of the hip or groin.
An analogy…
Think of the hip flexor muscles like strong elastic bands that lift your knee toward your chest. If they are stretched too quickly or too far, they can tear like a snapping rubber band.
What are other names that a hip flexor strain can be called?
Hip Flexor Injury, Iliopsoas Strain, Psoas Strain, Hip Flexor Tear, Strained Iliopsoas Muscle, Torn Iliopsoas Muscle, Pulled Hip Flexor
What causes a hip flexor strain?
The hip flexors are a group of muscles that help you lift your thigh toward your body. A strain happens when the muscle fibres are overloaded, usually from a sudden burst of force or a rapid stretch beyond their limit. This causes small (or large) tears in the muscle or its tendon near the pelvis.
What are the signs and symptoms of a hip flexor strain?
- Sharp pain at the front of the hip or groin area
- Tenderness when pressing the hip flexor muscles
- Pain with lifting the knee, sprinting, kicking, or climbing stairs
- Stiffness or weakness in the hip, especially when bending forward
- Swelling or bruising in the front of the hip
- Pain when stretching the hip backward
What tests are used to diagnose a hip flexor strain?
Palpation: Feeling for tenderness in the front of the hip
Resisted hip flexion test: Pain when lifting the knee against resistance
Stretching tests: Extending the hip backward reproduces symptoms
How long does a hip flexor strain take to heal?
Grade 1 (mild) strains often heal in 1 to 2 weeks. Grade 2 (moderate) strains usually take 3 to 6 weeks. Grade 3 (severe) strains (significant tearing) can take 8 to 12 weeks or more to fully recover.
How does a hip flexor strain happen?
- Sudden sprinting or kicking movements
- Explosive acceleration or direction changes
- Tight hip flexor muscles
- Poor warm-up or muscle preparation
- Weak glutes and core, causing the hip flexors to overwork
- Fatigue or previous hip injuries increasing the risk
What treatment can help a hip flexor strain?
- Relative rest from aggravating activities early on
- Ice application for the first 48–72 hours to control swelling
- Manual therapy (massage, dry needling, and stretching)
- Progressive strengthening and controlled stretching of the hip flexors
- Postural retraining and core strengthening
- Gradual return to running, kicking, and sport-specific drills
What exercises or stretches can I do for a hip flexor strain?
- Isometric hip flexor holds
- Glute and core strengthening exercises
- Gentle hip flexor stretches
- Straight leg raises to rebuild control
What products can help with a hip flexor strain?
Pelvic tilts
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Pull your bellybutton towards your spine and clench your buttock muscles to roll the tail bone up off the floor.
The majority of the effort should come from your abdominal and buttock muscles.
Your lower back should press firmly into the floor.
Relax and repeat.
Resisted hip abduction in supine (band around ankles)
Lie on your back with a resistance band tied around your ankles.
With your legs straight and a hip’s width apart, there should be some tension in the band.
Tighten your abdominal muscles and move your legs apart approximately 20 degrees.
Hold this position.
Control the movement as you bring your legs back in to hips distance apart, then repeat.
Mountain climbers
Adopt a plank position insuring your hands are directly beneath your shoulders.
Fully flex one hip and hold.
Extend the bent leg to the rear and repeat the movement pattern on the opposite side
Bridging
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
Tighten your buttock muscles and lift your hips up off the floor.
Make sure you keep your hips up and level throughout the movement.
Slowly lower your buttocks and hips back down, and repeat the exercise.
