Nip hip flexor pain in the bud, for good.

You’ve stretched your hip flexors. Strengthened them. Massaged them. And did all other hip flexor pain treatments under the sun. But still no luck.

Why can’t you shake this nagging pain in your hip flexor? What gives!?

Well for starters, you’re likely putting too much attention on the hip flexors. The body does not work like a machine on a conveyor belt, where each muscle does some task independently.

Instead, it’s a dynamic living breathing organism. All your muscles and joints work together to help you move around the world.

You also have this highly sophisticated thing called a brain in your skull, which is connected to a complex nervous system.

So yeah, it’s complicated. But here’s the thing - you don’t have to know the WHY in order to get your hip flexors out of pain. In fact, chasing this goal gets you further from where you want to be.

In this article, I’ll explain this in more detail and share some simple interventions you can start today to feel and move better.

Where is hip flexor pain felt?

Before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s make sure you’re reading this article for the same reason I’m writing it.

When I talk about hip flexor pain, I am referring to the area right in the hip crease. Although technically the muscle runs from your abdomen to your hip, most people report experiencing discomfort right in this hip crease area.

Many people report a pinching pain that comes on when the hips go into flexion, which occurs in many daily activities. Examples include the bottom position in a squat, where the hips are maximally flexed, or when the front leg goes forward while running or walking.

Tight Hip Flexors and Back Pain

Many people blame their chronic hip or back pain on tight hip flexors. This theory stems from the idea that tight muscles in front of the pelvis pull the pelvis forward, creating an anterior pelvic tilt.

The truth is that nobody has perfect posture or symmetry in the body. Posture is not as important to how joints feel as we’ve been led to believe.

Studies have shown that there is no relationship between the position of someone’s pelvis and whether they experience back pain.

You need to zoom out and focus on movement rather than pain.

Instead of being hyper-focused on the hip flexors and surrounding area, I recommend you take a more global approach to improving how your body moves.