The hip flexor muscles are located on the anterior side, or the front side of the hip joint. As their name implies, they cause the hips to flex and also connect your legs to your pelvis. The importance of these muscles is apparent when they are weak or tight because of their impact on the spine and their role in low back pain.
Function of Hip Flexors
Hip flexion occurs when the thigh and torso come together, either by lifting the thigh toward the torso, as in a knee lift or straight leg raise, or by lifting the torso toward the thigh, as in a full sit-up. They also move the hip forward when running or walking, and are under a great deal of stress while sprinting and kicking. Developing strong hip flexors will make your daily chores easier and provide an advantage in sports and athletics.
Description of Hip Flexors
Several muscles make up the hip flexor group: the iliopsoas, rectus femoris, sartorius, tensor fasciae latae, and the pectineus. The iliopsoas is three muscles---the psoas major, the psoas minor and the iliacus---that function as one and are located deep within the body. The rectus femoris is one of the four quad muscles, running straight from the hip bone to the knee. The sartorius is the longest muscle in the body, traveling from the outer hip, crossing over the leg to the inner knee. The tensor fasciae latae is a wide fibrous muscle that covers the area between the top of the leg and the bottom of the torso. Finally, the pectineus is the highest muscle of the inner thigh group, lying in the depression below the groin crease.
Considerations
As a group, hip flexors are often short and tight due to a sedentary lifestyle, lots of time spent driving and sitting at the computer. The results are seen as a forward tilt of the pelvis and lordosis, or an unusual inward curving of the lower back. The results are felt in low back and hip pain.
Stretching Hip Flexors
To stretch the hip flexors, assume a forward lunge position, bending the back knee and lifting the back heel. Tilt your pelvis backwards by engaging and strongly contracting your abs. Push your hipbones forward to gently stretch the iliopsoas. Hold for at least 30 seconds and switch legs.
Strengthening Hip Flexors
A number of exercises can strengthen the hip flexors, including hanging knee/leg raises and spread-eagle situps. Hanging knee raises are performed by suspending the upper body and raising the knees to the chest. To make it harder, keep the knees straight and raise the legs. To execute a spread-eagle situp, lie down with your legs straight, but spread as far apart as possible. Anchor them underneath something, if possible. Then sit up. Start out slowly on these exercises. The last thing you want to do is strain your hip flexors.
References
- Hip Flexor Strain
- ACE, Personal Trainer Manual, 2003
- The Hip Joint
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