A common muscle imbalance found in people with chronic lower back or hip pain is tightness of a group of muscles called the “hip flexors.” For the anatomy geeks among you; the three main hip flexors are called the psoas, iliacus and rectus femoris (part of your quadriceps muscles).
Tightness of your hip flexors can be caused by a number of things including weak gluteus max, altered hip biomechanics, overuse, hip arthritis, and prolonged sitting.
Treating tight hip flexors frequently incorporates several modalities, including glute max strengthening, hip joint mobilization, deep muscle massage, myofascial release, and stretching of the hip flexors.
While some cases of tight hip flexors shouldn’t be stretched, when they need to be stretched there are a few things to keep in mind:
This video demonstrates and easy and effective way to stretch your hip flexors.
