3 Reasons Why Stretching Your Hip Flexors Is Not Working and What to Do About It Instead
Whether you are a runner, barbell athlete, performing artist, or weekend warrior you have most likely encountered some hip flexor tightness or discomfort in your life. The immediate instinct is that you need to stretch, but sometimes that doesn’t really work. We have seen countless clients who come in with “tight hip flexors” stating that they’ve spent months stretching with little to no improvement. Now we are not saying that stretching is bad for you, but most often it is not answer to your hip flexor pain. That’s why in this blog we will go over three reasons why stretching may not be helping you and what to do about it instead.
One: Your hip flexors are not actually tight
When we experience tightness in the hip flexors, it may not be actual tightness of the muscle, but perceived tightness in response to irritation in that area. The way we can differentiate between true muscle tightness and the sensation of tightness is by performing a muscle length assessment. In most cases people will report a sensation of tightness but will have full range of motion and muscle length with testing. What does this tell us? It means that your nervous system is reacting to some sort of aggravation in that area of your body. The resulting sensation of tightness is your nervous system attempting to guard that area. This would explain why in this case stretching does not alleviate the symptoms of tightness long-term, because the cause of your symptoms is not true muscle tightness.
Two: Stretching may increase tissue sensitivity
For those who are experiencing rather acute or intense symptoms of tightness, maybe in addition to some pain, stretching may worsen symptoms in the short-term. Hip flexors can be easily irritated and when pain occurs mostly in the tendon, stretching can further aggravate symptoms. Yes, stretching feels good in the moment, and it may even provide some short-term relief, but symptoms typically return quickly and potentially worse than before. This is because stretching may be increasing sensitivity to the area and further aggravating the already irritated tissues. If you find that this is you, avoid stretching your hip flexors in the short-term and see how you respond.
Three: Physical demands are greater than your body’s capacity
In our experience, most cases of hip flexor tightness and pain are due to a load tolerance issue. This means that the demands placed on the hip flexors are greater than what they can actually withstand. Over time this can lead to pain, irritation and the sensation of tightness in the area. Although over-loading of the hip flexors can occur in many ways, the answer involves managing current training intensity while building up tissue capacity with targeted strength and endurance training. So, if you find yourself spending a lot of time stretching with no improvement, consider strength training the hip flexors instead!
Okay, so if stretching is not the answer... then what is? Well, everyone and every body is different. It depends on what caused your symptoms in the first place, what your current tolerance is, and what your long-term goals are. It requires a nuanced approach, which is why working with a Doctor of Physical Therapy who takes the time to understand your specific needs is so important.
Here at The PATH we specialize in treating active and motivated individuals of all levels and backgrounds. We take the time to get to know you and work with you to create an individualized program catered to your specific goals. If you’ve been dealing with nagging hip flexor pain and tightness that is not going away with stretching, click here to request a Discovery Call with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy.
It’s time to own your health and get back to the things you love!
Dr. Paulina Tselikis
PT, DPT, ATC
Co-Owner | The PATH Rehab & Performance
