Hip flexor (also, hello)

[Rebecca Altman]

Hi guys, 

 

I'm Rebecca (*waves*). I've been lurking in the forums for a couple of months, doing F1 and H1 doggedly, reading all your posts.  

 

I have a question about hip flexors/ mobility I hope someone can answer. 

 

The harder I work, the more pain I get in my hip flexors, specifically around where the psoas inserts on the femur, on my right leg (though sometimes my left). Psoas releases and foam rolling help it dramatically, as do random movements where my hip makes a resounding THUNK and moves into a different place. My hip flexors are TIGHT, and my external rotation is really poor (skiier). 

 

I seem to be doing things that make my hip flexors tighter and tighter. I stretch them daily, they improve for a few hours and then tighten up, but really, after 6 years of ashtanga yoga and stretching you'd think there'd be some kind of change, and even if ROM increases slightly that doesn't stop the tension. I notice that people tend to be open in some places and tight in others-- I've always thought of it as front-bendiness and side-bendiness (I don't know if there are technical terms for these things?). In my case, I'm front bendy: super open (weak) hamstrings and back, tight as hell in the hips, psoas, quads. 

 

You know how things work in symbiosis: you develop strength in one area and that allows your body to open in others? I'm assuming that this tension/ tightness is the result of a fundamental weakness somewhere else-- that my body is tensing what it can to support the structure so that it doesn't fall to pieces. And while I can understand this in other areas, when it comes to hip flexors I can't fully grasp where the support is happening and what they're tensing up to compensate for.

 

Is it a lower back weakness thing? Is it a core weakness thing? Is it a 'there's something wrong with your fundamentals and you need to learn how to walk again' thing? Any insights or experiences? 

[Connor Davies]

Hi Rebecca, welcome to the forum.

 

Gymnasts have notoriously tight hip flexors.  I think it's because they need to be so strong in them and so loose in their hamstrings as well.

 

Generally though, most people are far looser in their posterior chain than the anterior chain.  It's a side effect of all the sitting around we do.  Results in some pretty ugly pelvic tilt issues that I'm not super happy I can see.  Seriously, I've yet to see a single person with good pelvic tilt since I first started noticing it.

 

Not sure if this will help (I don't know a lot about developing flexibility) but have you tried working active stretches into the hip flexors?  My favourite for this is the 'reclining hero' pose.  For those unaware, you basically start seated in the seiza position and then lean backwards until your shoulders are on the floor.

 

To make it active, you fire your glutes, which increases the depth and intensity of the stretch.

 

This is just total guesswork on my part, but I figure if passively stretching them isn't having the results that you wanted, maybe actively stretching them might have differing effects....

[Rebecca Altman]

Ah yeah you're right there-- its totally a symptom of modern living, in a way. And in that same sense, most people don't use their glutes in the 'right' way-- ie. to fire when walking and stuff like that. Wonder if they're connected. Most of the people I know who have open hip flexors have, er, quite well developed posteriors, and vice versa. 

 

Gonna try active stretching, thanks for the recommendation. I've also started doing Kit's partner assisted hip flexor stretch in the last few days. Which is a total [wonderful] bitch.