Hip flexors and their injuries
Flexion refers to a flexing motion that reduces the angle between two parts of the body. When the flexor muscle contracts, it brings the two bones together, usually flexing at the joint.
In the case of hip flexors, they bring the bones of the leg and hip or spine together at the hip joint. If the hip is already bent, such as when you're sitting, these muscles don't work. A sedentary lifestyle can cause the flexor muscles to become narrow and weak, as they will always be in a reduced position. Narrow flexor muscles can lead to limited range of motion, poor posture, lower back and hip pain, and even injury.
These muscles need to be trained when you stand and make movements, such as lifting your leg to climb stairs, run or ride a bike.
Hip flexor muscles
* Large lumbar muscle: the lumbar muscle is the deep muscle that connects the spine to the leg. In fact, it is the only muscle that performs this function. It runs from the lower back through the pelvis, passing to the front of the thigh, where it attaches to the top of the femur.
* Iliac muscle: the iliac muscle is a flat triangular muscle located deep inside the pelvis. It attaches from the pelvis to the femur. Its main action is to bend and rotate the hip.
* Rectus femoris: this muscle is one of the quadriceps muscles that attaches the pelvis to the patellar tendon. Squats and lunges train the rectus femoris muscle.
* Comb muscle: the comb muscle is a flat quadrilateral muscle located at the top of the inner thigh, often referred to as the groin muscle. It is primarily responsible for hip flexion, but it also rotates your hip.
* Sartorial muscle: the sartorial muscle is a long, thin muscle that runs the entire length of the thigh from the pelvis to the knee. It is the longest muscle in the human body that helps bend the knees and leg.
Symptoms of hip flexor muscle injury
The main symptom of a strained or torn hip flexor muscle is pain in the front of the thigh.
* Weak and dragging pain
* Spasms and sharp pain and / or severe pain
* Bruises
* Swelling
* Muscle spasms (in case of complete rupture)
You may feel pain or a pulling sensation when you get up from a squat or stand up after sitting down.
With a complete break, which is not as common as tension, it can be difficult to walk.
Reasons
You can stretch or tear one or more of the hip flexors when you make sudden movements, such as changing direction while running or kicking. Sports events where this can happen are running, soccer, martial arts, dancing, and hockey. In everyday life, you can pull the flexor muscle when you slip and fall.
You are more likely to get an injury to these muscles if you have had it in the past, you do not warm up properly before exercising, your muscles are already tense or stiff. If you try to do too many exercises at once in too short a period of time during a workout, you may also be at risk of hip flexor injury.
Diagnostics
Accurate diagnosis is currently difficult to carry out. However, the traditional grading system is still often used.
I degree (light)
A grade I injury is a small tear in a muscle that causes mild pain and can cause slight swelling and soreness. You can continue to do your usual things, including sports. It may take a couple of weeks for a full recovery.
Grade II (moderate)
A grade II injury is a larger tear in a muscle that makes movement difficult and causes moderate pain, especially when the affected muscle moves, swelling and soreness. You can have anywhere from 5% to 50% loss of function, and you can limp.
You can't go back to playing sports until the injury is completely healed. These injuries can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months to heal, depending on how serious they are.
Grade III (severe)
A complete muscle tear, causing severe pain and swelling, and you can't support the load on that leg, making it difficult to walk. You've also lost more than 50% of your muscle function. These injuries are less common and may require surgery to repair the torn muscle. Full healing may take several months or more.
Treatment
If it's not serious, you can treat a sprained or torn hip flexor muscle at home. Here's what to do:
* Protection: Protect your injury so it doesn't get worse or get damaged again. For example, you can use a bandage or support or wrap the injured area with a bandage.
* Rest: stay away from hip loads for the first few days and avoid any activities that cause pain.
* Ice: using ice or a reusable ice pack can help relieve pain and reduce muscle swelling. Apply immediately after injury for 20 minutes and repeat every three to four hours for the next two to three days.
* Compression: if you are concerned about swelling or it is increasing, try to wrap the injured area slightly with a bandage or wear compression shorts.
* Height: as often as possible, lift your leg so that it is above the level of the heart. This helps reduce swelling and inflammation.
You can use painkillers to relieve the pain.
If you have heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, or if you have had ulcers or internal bleeding, consult your doctor before taking any of the medications.
When to see a doctor
If your symptoms don't improve within a few weeks, or you find it difficult to move your leg and / or hip, it's time to see a doctor. Your injury may be more serious than you initially thought,may require different treatment, or may be completely unrelated to your hip flexors.
You may be offered exercises at home. If you have a lot of tension or it does not go away, you may need to see a physical therapist who will help you gradually strengthen and stretch your muscles. Complete lacerations may require the use of crutches until you recover and seeking surgery to repair the muscle connection. You can also consider soft tissue release techniques and trigger point therapy . These are both alternative treatments that help treat and relieve pain. Soft tissue release is an advanced form of massage therapy that works on specific muscle fibers that have been damaged and helps stretch and strengthen them. Trigger point therapy focuses on trigger points, i.e. areas that cause pain when compressed. However, pressure on these trigger points can actually relieve the pain. This can be done with a dry needle, chiropractic or massage.
Prevention
Remember the following tips to prevent injuries to the flexor muscles of the thigh:
* Always warm up before performing any exercise or physical activity.
* Make sure you make a hitch after the activity. Slowly stretch each muscle group and hold the stretch for a few seconds.
* Keep your muscles toned by exercising regularly. Exercises that help stretch and strengthen the flexor muscles include the pigeon pose, bridges, lunges, sitting stretches, straight leg lifts, and squats. Don't push too hard; it shouldn't hurt.
* Work on strengthening the core muscles and buttocks. These muscles work together to give you balance and stability and help you move in your daily life as well as in exercise and sports. When one group of these muscles is weak or tense, it can cause injury or pain in the other, so make sure you pay equal attention to each of them.
* Before you return to your regular exercise or sport, make sure that your injury has fully healed and that your muscles are back to the same strength and flexibility they were before the injury (or better). Not having enough time to heal can lead to repeated damage, which can set you back even further.
