Hip Flexor Strain advice

[Charley]

Hi all,
I strained my hip flexor on a long, sloppy-snow xc ski back in March. It was a little sensitive (flaring up after some exercise, but always improving within 24 hours) from then until a few weeks ago, when I took a snow hike up to Lamberson Butte. After all the snow walking (lifting my mountaineering boots and kicking steps), my whole lower body was sore. The next day, my right side hip flexor was truly tweaked: weak and painful. After limping around for a few days with no improvement, I went to my doctor, who recommended rest and ibuprofen. SO. . . no riding, skiing, hiking or climbing the last two weeks!

It's getting stronger, but it feels really tight right now. I went for a super-easy bike ride in my neighborhood just now, and it doesn't feel mangled up, but it still feels tight.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Particularly mountaineers (kicking steps) or XC skiers (lifting the toe up in heavy snow). Any advice or encouragement you'd have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,.
Charley

[Chase]

Had some problems last winter with my hip flexors. Doc said the same: rest and ibuprofen. I didn't like that advice, so I started some stretches that you can find easily on YouTube. Another piece that seemed to make a huge difference was not sitting on sofas or chairs that were too low. Kind of hard to explain, but I made a point of either sitting upright in a more "proper" posture or in a way where my legs were up and my whole lower body was well supported.
I went easy on the ibuprofen. Took less than 10 days to get better and no problems since.

[jessbee]

Rest and ibuprofen is what the doc tells you when s/he has no idea what to do.

Gentle stretching to start, several times throughout the day, then when you're feeling good start strengthening those muscles. There are some great yoga poses that stretch the hip flexors--think lunges and some backbends--that would be useful for you. Less sitting and more standing--if you have a desk job, make sure you're up and moving around every hour on the hour, as possible.

If the muscles are strong, they won't get fired up on weekend warrior excursions. So start training them. You can find all sorts of videos to strengthen hip flexors using physioballs, resistance bands, etc. online.

If you want advice from a pro go to a chiropractor. Mine is awesome and she gives me targeted stretches and strengthening exercises every time I tweak something climbing or hiking.

Just my two cents.

[renegadepilgrim]

You might want to ask for a physical therapy referral from your doc too...they can give you good exercises to do to strengthen those muscles. Acupuncture is also great for muscle issues. I would also suggest, if you are super active, to request a referral to a sports medicine MD. Family practice docs just don't have the knowledge...go to someone that does.

[jschiffe]

I've had good luck with remediating this problem by doing stretches that a personal fitness trainer showed me how to do. It's been an ongoing problem for 3-5 years and probably will be with me for the rest of my life. That means regular hip flexor stretching is crucial. I've also been told by trainers, massage therapists and physical therapists that it's very important to strengthen the glutes, quads, and hamstrings as well as keeping the IT band stretched. The short answer is: stretch and strength train regularly.
JS