REALLY tight and painful hip flexors

[Anonymous]

I am going to PT and they have given me stretches to do which I am doing but I don't see that much improvement. I also have hip bursitis.

I'd love any tips for improvement.

[Anonymous]

Are you sitting a lot? Standing more was a huge help for me.

[Anonymous]

stand more try marching in place with legs/thighs high up.

[Anonymous]

I do resistance band work 3 days a week. Some exercises are below. Most are 2 sets of 10 and if the are Single Leg (SL) then each leg is 2 sets per leg.

Banded Side Walks (10 steps each way twice)
Banded Monster Walks (10 steps, turn around, 10 steps back...twice)
Banded Marching in Place (2 x 20 total marches so it's 10 each side...twice)
Banded Marching Iso holds - Instead of marching, hold your thigh up parallel to the group for 10 seconds, then switch legs. Do 3 or 4 each leg.
Banded Clam shells and/or Clanks (Clamshells while in Side Plank position)
SL L-Sits (Sit on floor nice and tall. Legs straight out in front of you. Put something next to one of your ankles and raise your leg up and over that object and touch the floor on the other side of it. Repeat 10 times. Switch legs. Do each leg 10 times twice.)
Banded SL Side Leg Raisers
Banded Dead Bugs/Psoas Marches
Copenhagens
Glute Bridges (If double leg are too easy do SL) Get some glute and hip flexors with this exercise
Plank position, Bands around angles, SL Tap Outs (Get some core and hips with this one)

As the prior poster said, don't sit too long. Get up and walk around more. Also, take short walks before work, at lunch, and after work. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Oh and for "mobility", I do
Shin Boxes
Split Squats
Open and Close the Gates

Doing the above exercises and these mobility movements takes about 20 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Great tips above - all of those have helped loosen (and strengthen) my tight hip flexors. I would also recommend foam rolling, theragun, and epsom salt baths.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do resistance band work 3 days a week. Some exercises are below. Most are 2 sets of 10 and if the are Single Leg (SL) then each leg is 2 sets per leg.

Banded Side Walks (10 steps each way twice)
Banded Monster Walks (10 steps, turn around, 10 steps back...twice)
Banded Marching in Place (2 x 20 total marches so it's 10 each side...twice)
Banded Marching Iso holds - Instead of marching, hold your thigh up parallel to the group for 10 seconds, then switch legs. Do 3 or 4 each leg.
Banded Clam shells and/or Clanks (Clamshells while in Side Plank position)
SL L-Sits (Sit on floor nice and tall. Legs straight out in front of you. Put something next to one of your ankles and raise your leg up and over that object and touch the floor on the other side of it. Repeat 10 times. Switch legs. Do each leg 10 times twice.)
Banded SL Side Leg Raisers
Banded Dead Bugs/Psoas Marches
Copenhagens
Glute Bridges (If double leg are too easy do SL) Get some glute and hip flexors with this exercise
Plank position, Bands around angles, SL Tap Outs (Get some core and hips with this one)

As the prior poster said, don't sit too long. Get up and walk around more. Also, take short walks before work, at lunch, and after work. Good luck.

This is the answers. Strength through range of motion is almost always the answer.

[Anonymous]

When you drive, make sure your feet are always in the same position. So if you have your foot on the pedal, put your left foot in a similar spot. When cruise control is on, make sure they are the same again. I read about this online, tried it, and my hip pain is gone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do resistance band work 3 days a week. Some exercises are below. Most are 2 sets of 10 and if the are Single Leg (SL) then each leg is 2 sets per leg.

Banded Side Walks (10 steps each way twice)
Banded Monster Walks (10 steps, turn around, 10 steps back...twice)
Banded Marching in Place (2 x 20 total marches so it's 10 each side...twice)
Banded Marching Iso holds - Instead of marching, hold your thigh up parallel to the group for 10 seconds, then switch legs. Do 3 or 4 each leg.
Banded Clam shells and/or Clanks (Clamshells while in Side Plank position)
SL L-Sits (Sit on floor nice and tall. Legs straight out in front of you. Put something next to one of your ankles and raise your leg up and over that object and touch the floor on the other side of it. Repeat 10 times. Switch legs. Do each leg 10 times twice.)
Banded SL Side Leg Raisers
Banded Dead Bugs/Psoas Marches
Copenhagens
Glute Bridges (If double leg are too easy do SL) Get some glute and hip flexors with this exercise
Plank position, Bands around angles, SL Tap Outs (Get some core and hips with this one)

As the prior poster said, don't sit too long. Get up and walk around more. Also, take short walks before work, at lunch, and after work. Good luck.

This is the answers. Strength through range of motion is almost always the answer.

All of this. Also: single leg RDLs and hip CARS (forward and backwards).

And I do Barre 3 and vinyasa yoga.

The above has helped immensely. Stretching never, ever helped my painful hips or hip flexors -- always made it worse. Strength and mobility work does. I avoid holding the deep, deep stretches in yoga.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do resistance band work 3 days a week. Some exercises are below. Most are 2 sets of 10 and if the are Single Leg (SL) then each leg is 2 sets per leg.

Banded Side Walks (10 steps each way twice)
Banded Monster Walks (10 steps, turn around, 10 steps back...twice)
Banded Marching in Place (2 x 20 total marches so it's 10 each side...twice)
Banded Marching Iso holds - Instead of marching, hold your thigh up parallel to the group for 10 seconds, then switch legs. Do 3 or 4 each leg.
Banded Clam shells and/or Clanks (Clamshells while in Side Plank position)
SL L-Sits (Sit on floor nice and tall. Legs straight out in front of you. Put something next to one of your ankles and raise your leg up and over that object and touch the floor on the other side of it. Repeat 10 times. Switch legs. Do each leg 10 times twice.)
Banded SL Side Leg Raisers
Banded Dead Bugs/Psoas Marches
Copenhagens
Glute Bridges (If double leg are too easy do SL) Get some glute and hip flexors with this exercise
Plank position, Bands around angles, SL Tap Outs (Get some core and hips with this one)

As the prior poster said, don't sit too long. Get up and walk around more. Also, take short walks before work, at lunch, and after work. Good luck.

This is the answers. Strength through range of motion is almost always the answer.

All of this. Also: single leg RDLs and hip CARS (forward and backwards).

And I do Barre 3 and vinyasa yoga.

The above has helped immensely. Stretching never, ever helped my painful hips or hip flexors -- always made it worse. Strength and mobility work does. I avoid holding the deep, deep stretches in yoga.

I would add kickstand RDL, kettlebell swings (with good form, starting first with lower weight), and goblet squats as well.

[Anonymous]

I hang from the monkey bars at the playground (work up to 1 min +) and have seen a world of difference in my hips and lower back.

[Anonymous]

Someone at the gym swings her leg like a pendulum right and left. I tried it and it seems to loosens me up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hang from the monkey bars at the playground (work up to 1 min +) and have seen a world of difference in my hips and lower back.

Wow! How long did you do this before you saw improvement? I would have thought that’s a shoulder/arm/back move.

[Anonymous]

I have had hip pain lately and I think it’s hip flexors. But I’m not sure. What are symptoms that that’s definitely what it is?

[Anonymous]

I have also seen people talk about how you need to strengthen hip flexors. The tightness isn't just lack of mobility but also other areas compensating because hip flexors are weak.