What Are Hip Flexors?

Basically, the hip flexors are a set of several muscles that pass through the pelvis.

The Iliopsoas is made up of two muscles, the Iliacus and the Psoas Major, located at the front of the hip. Together these muscles function in moving the thigh up in the direction of the abdomen.

Although the muscles originate in different places...

...the Iliacus begins at the hip bone and the Psoas Major, the longer of the muscles, originates at the spine,

...both muscles end at the same area, at the upper thigh bone. It is at this point where a hip flexor injury is most likely to occur.

The Rectus Femoris is one of the Quadriceps muscles, but the only one that crosses the hip joint. This muscle acts not only as a hip flexor but straightens the knee, as well.

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Hip Exercises, Hip Pain

How Important is Hip Flexor Exercise?

If the hip flexor muscles become tightened they will likely cause discomfort or pain in your pelvic area as well as the lower back and legs. As in my own case...

...this happens as a result of the tightened muscles exerting forward pull on my lower back and pelvis, and pulling the abdominal muscles forward, which in turn causes weakened stomach muscles.

As the saying goes, the best offense is a good defense. In my case the defense is hip exercise. Doing something as simple as incorporating more walking into my day has helped.

However, for greater benefit I routinely include hip flexor stretch exercise. This helps increase the blood flow to the hip joint, thus making it less prone to injury and degenerative disease such as arthritis.

Please note... This website is written by a patient, NOT a practitioner. If you are unsure of the source of your hip pain, be sure to consult with a doctor before devising your own treatment plan.