Mountain Project Logo

Hip Flexor Pain. Any Suggestions?

Original Post
Tristan Higbee · · Pocatello, ID · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 2,970

So I finally figured out that the pain I have off-and-on in in my hips is in my hip flexors. The pain has been occasional in the past and usually minor, and has generally only occurred when I'm mountaineering. Today I spent several hours snowshoeing and it was especially bad, and in both legs (usually it's only in my right leg)

I Googled "hip flexor pain" and found out that stretching a lot before setting off will help. Makes sense. I was wondering if anyone else has had hip flexor problems in the past and what you did to mitigate/fix them. What was especially helpful? Is it worth going to the doctor or is it something I can work out on my own?

Thanks in advance.

David Appelhans · · Broomfield, CO · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 410

I get the same pain when I go for long days post-holing in the snow. It hurts alot, but I figure it is just muscle fatigue and overuse and that I need to get stronger. Maybe I'll try stretching next time.

Greg Gavin · · SLC, UT · Joined Oct 2008 · Points: 888

I would normally have something similar happen to me once we had enough snow to start ski touring. Lugging around the extra weight on my feet and having a fairly inflexible ankle prevented my calves from doing their job and focused the energy of leg motion directly onto my hip flexors.

I would stretch before during and after each tour. This not only helped with the sensation of having a pulled hip flexor, but also sped up the recovery process after each tour (for the hip flexor to feel better). Obviously this is just my opinion, but I always felt like it was worse in the beginning of the season then quickly went away once I got in shape.

Bill Lumberg · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 75

Been there as well, mostly from excessive ski touring.

Ditto on the pigeon poses, plus rolling your IT bands (outside of quads) with a foam roller breaks up some of the gnar. Good luck!

Marc Reich · · Boulder, CO · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 20

i've had hip flexor issues with trail running, mostly on uphills. stretching helps but doesnt prevent it entirely. I think its more of an overuse issue. The last time it was happening to me i took several weeks off and focused on more mid length runs and slightly short long runs. perhaps try to work out those muscles/activities more frequently at a lower intensity to build up strength. and continue to stretch.

Dave Swink · · Boulder, Co · Joined Jun 2007 · Points: 285

Maybe an i-band issue: emedicine.medscape.com/arti…

KevinCO · · Loveland, CO · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 60

Try stretching your quads by lying on your back and pulling your foot back and to the side until you feel the stretch in your inner quads. After a few sessions of working out the tightness, start to work on a slight reverse angle between your upper leg and torso.

Two PTs (dfferent clinics) have mentioned that hip flexor problems are related to a weak core. Pilates would seem to be a good solution to that.

Try massaging the area with Arniflora Gel.

Support tendon repair with this drink:

1 scoop Collagen Type 1 & 3 (Neocell brand)
500 mg vit c (open a capsule)
bromelain capsule (2400GDU/500mg)
12 oz water
dash cayenne -mix just enough to avoid too much foaming
-take only on an empty stomach...bromelain
won't work as an anti-inflammatory if
taken with food and collagen won't
work for tendon repair if taken with
food.

BScallout · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 0
David Sahalie wrote:Yoga. Down dog and pigeon pose.
And hummus and a nice Merlot.

Try this: stand with your feet straight and shoulder width apart. Pretend someone stuck a thousand dollar bill in the crack of your ass, and you don't want to let them have it. Ie: clench ass cheeks. If it flairs the problem area chances are you aren't eating enough hummus and doing enough dog down's. No seriously though, try that excersie, my PT lady gave that to me when I was all f#@&ed up and it helped a TON. Hold the clench for 10 seconds, do 10 reps per hour.
DStaley · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 0

I thought I had hip flexor pain, and pretty much ignored it. I tried some different stretching routines to no avail. It turned out to be a labral tear, femoroacetabular impingement and osteoarthritis. Surgery on both hips, including microfracture on one of them, 12 weeks on crutches, 8 weeks on a continuous passive motion machine for 6-8 hours per day, 6 months of PT (with at least 3 more to go) and a minimum of 12 months with no running, mtbing, hiking or climbing...

My pain was right at the hip flexor in both hips, but it turned out to have nothing to do with the hip flexor at all. I first felt the pain when mountaineering, especially when postholing or snowshoeing (or even worse, both). The repetitive lifting of my leg was rubbing the impingment on the labrum, producing the labral tear. Doing this for years caused osteoarthritis requiring microfracture. Even after all of this I'm still facing a resurfacing or replacement in 10-ish years.

My advise is that if you have insurance or can afford it, please go see a doctor or a good physical therapist and get it fully checked out. Be prepared for xrays and and MRI. I wish I had several years ago. FWIW, I tried all kinds of different stretching routines and it only made it worse as it was a bone problem, not a soft tissue problem.

I sincerely hope it is a hip flexor though! Good luck! Feel free to email me at talusfinder-at--gmail(dot)com if you have any questions.

fossana · · leeds, ut · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 13,318

I developed ITBS from ultrarunning, which morphed into TFL issues. My psoas also gets worked with snow travel (the pain here is more in the front in my case tends to be transient). After trying a plethora of treatments my hips are better but not fully resolved.

Some things I've found helpful:
- Pilates
- Other exercises which focus on strengthening your glutes and core
- Stretching
- Foam roller and aggressive massage
- Ice/heat

I did have a torn labrum in one hip, which I had repaired; however, it did nothing to improve my hip symptoms. The classic sign of a labral tear is groin pain, but mine was always lateral. BTW, here's a blog entry which I thought explained well the relationship between the hip flexors and other anatomy.

Personally, I would try the PT stuff first for a few weeks before going to see a physician.

Good luck!

DStaley · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 0
fossana wrote:I developed ITBS from ultrarunning, which morphed into TFL issues. My psoas also gets worked with snow travel (the pain here is more in the front in my case tends to be transient). After trying a plethora of treatments my hips are better but not fully resolved. Some things I've found helpful: - Pilates - Other exercises which focus on strengthening your glutes and core - Stretching - Foam roller and aggressive massage - Ice/heat I did have a torn labrum in one hip, which I had repaired; however, it did nothing to improve my hip symptoms. The classic sign of a labral tear is groin pain, but mine was always lateral. BTW, here's a blog entry which I thought explained well the relationship between the hip flexors and other anatomy. Personally, I would try the PT stuff first for a few weeks before going to see a physician. Good luck!
A year or so ago Fossana sent me some good stretches for the hip flexor. I couldn't find them on my computer, but maybe if you PM her she still has them. I really wish they had worked for me, and that they work for you!

-DS
J. Broussard · · CordryCorner · Joined Feb 2011 · Points: 50

labral tear

Plagued me for years without being able to figure out the issue. Everyone told me to stretch more and kick ass less.

6 month recovery but it's worth it

fossana · · leeds, ut · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 13,318

@DStaley: I can't remember if I send you paper or e-copies. Tristan, I check my old laptop/ext hard drive for scans if they were e-copies. If there not there it might be tricky tracking down the paper copies; I've moved twice since.

  • *UPDATE**
Found it. Uploaded the scan to Google docs.
Jason Smith · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2019 · Points: 0

I'm going through this right now and was wondering the same thing. I found this article here - https://hipflexorsinfo.com/hip-flexor-pain-treatment/ and started doing some of the stretches and I do find they help reduce some of the pain in my hips temporarily.

I want to know if anyone has any information on how to get rid of hip flexor pain for good? The stretches I'm doing before I set off do help but I'm looking for a more permanent solution. 

Marc801 C · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 65
Jason Smith wrote:I want to know if anyone has any information on how to get rid of hip flexor pain for good? The stretches I'm doing before I set off do help but I'm looking for a more permanent solution. 
Yes - see a physical therapist who can assess *your* specific issues and develop an exercise and stretching plan specific to *you*. It's not just stretching - exercises are vitally important as well. Hip flexor pain can be caused by a lot of things, sometimes seemingly unrelated. Your glutes may not be strong enough; your gait may be off and require custom orthotics to correct which then fixes the hip pain.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Injuries and Accidents
Post a Reply to "Hip Flexor Pain. Any Suggestions?"

Log In to Reply

Join the Community

Create your FREE account today!
Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started.