Hip Flexor Strain Exercise Handouts

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Hip flexion or lifting up your knee towards your body is one of the most common movements. It is needed for moving, jumping, and so on. However, some physical activities make more extensive use of hip flexion and thus greater risk of strain of hip flexor muscles during these activities. For example, one is more likely to have this problem while playing soccer, dancing, or practicing martial arts. When the hip flexor muscles are pulled, stretched, ripped, or injured in any way, this can lead to a condition known as hip flexor strain. The illness can be brought on by a variety of different activities, and the primary symptom is severe pain.
The top of the femur, which is the biggest bone in the body, is connected to the lower back, hips, and groin by a group of muscles known as the hip flexors. A person’s ability to move is dependent on the coordinated effort of many different hip flexor muscles. They include the iliacus and psoas major muscles, which are together known as the iliopsoas, as well as the rectus femoris, which is a component of a person’s quadriceps. Additionally, they include the gracilis muscle.

Injury, with its accompanying pain and decreased mobility, can be the result of these muscles and tendons being overworked or stretched beyond their normal limits. Some exercises can help with hip flexor strain. Many such exercises can be done readily at home without any specific equipment like the exercises listed below.

Modified Thomas stretch

Step 1 – Be seated at the edge of a bed or bench with both legs hanging off the edge.

Step 2 – Lift one of your legs toward your chest, and lean back onto the table simultaneously. You should experience a stretch in the front of the hip of the leg that is hanging toward the floor.

Repeat 10-12 times
3 sets in a row
Once-daily
5 days a week

Supine Active Straight leg raise

Step 1 – Lie flat on your back with one knee bent up to protect the lower back. Slowly
raise the straight leg up toward the ceiling (~2-3 feet), activating the quadriceps and hip
flexor muscles. The toes of the raised leg should be pointed toward the ceiling.

Step 2 – After holding in the top position for 5 seconds, slowly lower the leg back to the
starting position

Repeat 10-12 times
3 sets in a row
Once-daily
5 days a week

Supine bridge

Step 1 – Tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles by pushing your low back to the
ground.

Step 2 – Raise your hips to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
Next, tighten your abdominal muscles and draw your belly button toward your spine.

Step 3 – Hold for 25 to 30 seconds and lower the hips to return to the initial position.

Repeat 8-12 times
3 sets in a row
Once-daily
5 days a week

Clamshell with resistance

Step 1 – Start this exercise by lying on the side with knees bent at forty-five degrees.
Next, rest your head on your lower arm, and use your top arm to steady your frame.

Step 2 – Rest your head on your lower arm, and use your top arm to steady your frame.
Involve your abdominal muscles by drawing your belly button in, as this will help steady
your spine and pelvis. Keeping your feet touching, raise your upper knee as high as
possible without shifting your hips or pelvis. Don’t move your lower leg off the floor.

Repeat 16-20 times
3 sets in a row
Once-daily
5 days a week

Side stepping with resistance at ankles

Step 1 – The exercise is more or less self-explanatory. You wear the resistance band at
the ankles while standing in a relaxed position.

Step 2 – Next is to step to the side against the band’s resistance.

Step 3 – Step to alternate side

Repeat 10-12 times
3 sets in a row
Once-daily
5 days a week

Half-Kneeling Hip flexor stretch

Step 1 – Start by kneeling on the yoga mat. Next, move one of your feet forward like in
lunges, ensuring that the knee is directly above the ankle. Now place both the hands on
the knee of the extended leg.

Step 2 – Stretch your hip flexor by moving forward. At the same time, squeeze the
glutes of other hips

Step 3 – Hold the position for 30-45 seconds

Repeat 10 times
3 sets in a row
Once-daily
5 days a week

Single leg bridge

Step 1 – Raise your hips and tighten your abdominals and buttock muscles to support
the lift until your shoulders and knees are straight. Next, tighten your core muscles
simultaneously as if trying to pull your belly button back toward your spine.

Step 2 – Stay in the position for just about a couple of seconds.

Step 3 – Lower the hips to the floor slowly and with control, keeping the leg extended to
return to the starting position.

Repeat 8-10 times
3 sets in a row
Once-daily
5 days a week

Quadruped alternating leg extensions

Step 1 – Start with a dog pose or quadrupeds, resting on the knees and hands.

Step 2 – Extend one of the legs back, raising it parallel to the floor by tightening the glutes.

Step 3 – Repeat alternating for each leg.

Repeat 8-10 times for each leg
3 sets in a row
Once-daily
5 days a week

Reverse lunge

It has all the benefits of regular lunges: strengthening the things or quads, improving
balance, lower back strengthening, and training core muscles.
However, unlike regular lunges, you only do it in a reverse manner. Instead of
lunging one leg forward, you take the other leg backward, thus resulting in a lunge
motion.

Repeat 16-20 times
3 sets in a row
Once-daily
5 days a week

Side lunge adductor Stretch

Step 1 – Stand straight with feet shoulder apart from each other.

Step 2 – Move one of the feet to make a lateral or side lunge, and at the same time,
bend forward to touch the floor. This will ensure adductor stretch, too.