In our last video, we looked at a way to identify if your hip flexors and quads are too tight. Tight hip flexors and quads are so common in our Boulder Chiropractor and Physical therapy office, we would estimate that nearly 60-75% of all lower back pain and tightness seen in office has a contribution from the hip flexor.
This is because everyone in the western world sits too much, especially in the Boulder, Colorado area. If you sit frequently, you teach certain muscles to be tight and certain ones to be weak. To compound that, most people in our area like to ride their bike and run when they finally take a break from work. These activities or sports that we perform put stress on the same tissues over and over. If your hip flexor muscles become too tight and shortened, they will start to negatively affect the biomechanics of your hips, lower back, knees, and even foot.
Often, tightness and stiffness will come on before you finally get to a breaking point when pain sets in. If you do not have pain yet, it is likely that you will soon if you do not address the tightness. Using this test can identify a situation when you need to be proactive and start stretching or seek treatment.
The hip flexors are made up of 3 main muscles:
Psoas muscle - this is your primary and most powerful hip flexor. It travels from your lumbar spine to the front of your hip.
Rectus Femoris muscle - this is a secondary muscle that runs from the front of your hip to your knee and is a part of your quad muscles. This guy also helps to extend or straighten your knee.
Tensor Fascia Latta (TFL) muscle - this is a last minute helper that sits under your front pocket. It helps your hip move into flexion while also helping to move your leg away from center. This guy can lead to the dreaded IT band pain.
How do you know if your hip flexors or quads are too tight? If you haven’t read that yet, start here —> how to find out if you’re too tight.
In the video below, we teach you how to properly stretch your hip flexors. If you found that you failed the hip flexor/quad flexibility test, then you should start incorporating this stretch into your daily routine.
If you found that your hip flexors or quad muscles are too tight, schedule an appointment at our Boulder Chiropractor and physical therapy office for an evaluation. We have tools like Active Release Technique, Graston technique, dry needling, massage, Functional Range Conditioning, yoga, and Boulder physical therapy to help get your flexibility back!
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