Your hip flexors are the muscles that bend your hip to move your legs forward when walking or running. These six muscles, which include your quadriceps and are located on the front of your thigh, can be injured due to a rapid slowing down when running, or other forceful contraction. Athletes, especially those participating in sports that require a lot of running, suffer more of these injuries than non-athletes. But that doesn't mean that if you're not an athlete you can't strain your hip flexors.
Causes of Hip Flexor Strain
According to PhysioAdvisor.com, the most common method of straining your hip flexors is a sudden contraction of your hip flexors. This can occur during stretching or during running or kicking movements. Although sudden contractions are the most common causes of hip flexor strains, you can also strain the muscles through repetitive activities or overusing the muscles. One of the ways to prevent this injury is to warm up completely before beginning any activity.
Signs You've Strained Your Hip Flexors
One of the most obvious signs that you've strained your hip flexors is a sudden, sharp pain or pull in the front of your thigh or groin. This pain can be severe enough that you're unable to move or continue the activity. If you have a hip flexor strain, you also may experience spasms or weakness in the muscle, primarily when bending your hip to lift your knee toward your chest. According to Stockton Athletic Training, there are three levels of hip flexor strain: Grade 1, which involves a minor tear of the muscle; Grade 2, involving a partial tear; and Grade 3, a complete tear.
Treatment of the Injury
You may have to take some time away from your sport to recover from a strained hip flexor muscle. How much time depends on the injury's severity. Treatment for a strained hip flexor often follows the traditional treatment for many muscular injuries. One of the first things you should do is ice the area to help begin the healing process and reduce the chances of inflammation. This should be followed over the next several weeks with progressive exercises designed to restore strength and flexibility to the injured muscle .
Returning To Activity
Returning to activity too early can easily re-injure a weakened hip flexor muscle, so wait for your doctor to give you the go-ahead before you change into your uniform. Everyone recovers at a different pace, so don't return to sport too early. Some of the criteria that tell you you're healthy enough to get back in the game include a return of full strength to the area, the ability to move your leg freely without pain and no swelling or bruising in the area of the injury.
