How to beat tight hip flexors once and for all.
85% of runners report experiencing tight hip flexors. Most of them try to fight it with stretching. But what if there was a better way?
The battle against tight hip flexors is a familiar one among runners, regardless of the level at which one is running.
But “common” doesn’t mean “normal” and this isn’t a pattern that you should suffer through!
Here’s why it’s so common and how to figure out your long-term solution.
We spend so much of our lives sitting - at desks, driving, hanging out on the couch - which means we’ve often adapted to a position where we’re shortened through the hip flexors and lengthened through the hip extensors (the big muscles in the back!).
This pattern is so common that 75% of people have been demonstrated to have limited hip extension.
With that kind of frequency, it feels easy to chalk your symptoms up to “part of being a runner”.
Here’s the problem:
When you end up tight anteriorly, your pelvis tilts forward, and your capacity to generate force to drive you forward is instantly reduced.
Think of your pelvis as a bowl. With that anterior tilt, the contents of your bowl spill forward. We want to keep that bowl neutral to tap into our strength and avoid adopting less efficient and riskier patterns as we move.
Here’s what happens if we don’t:
We can’t achieve proper hip extension, which is a key component of producing a horizontal force that drives us forward.
Arching through the lower back to “fake” hip extension.
An immediate reduction in the capacity of the hip extensors to generate force from their now lengthened position.
Limited hip external rotation (does pigeon pose feel awful? We’re looking at you!).
Big picture, you’re leaving your performance potential untapped and opening yourself up to greater injury risk.
Your experience as a runner is a tight feeling at the front of the hip. So, the temptation is to stretch away.
But if all we do is stretch, we’re temporarily reducing that sensation of tightness, but not really addressing the fact that limited hip extension and capacity of the extensor muscles is a massive component of the problem.
So, while you may experience a sensation of tightness in the front and try to problem-solve by stretching it out, we’re confident that even the “best” hip flexor stretch isn’t the solution.
Instead of stretching, focus on the hip drive.
While there’s no “right way” to run, there are a few hallmarks that we look for to ensure that you’re moving efficiently and reducing your injury risk. One of the hallmarks of healthy, efficient running is the capacity to drive through the hips and then extend the hip.
While it's natural for runners to want to alleviate the tightness in the front, the real solution lies in enhancing your ability to drive through the hips. This involves building strength and coordinated movement patterns in the back of the hips, and it’s a strategy that’s much more likely to have long-term benefits.
Here’s a favourite strategy to get it done.
Drive through the foot on the ground, staying anchored through the heel, the base of your big toe and the base of your baby toe.
Get those hips all the way up, but stop before you have to cheat and arch your lower back!
The foot on the wall helps you control your pelvis, which many runners struggle with. If you’re ready for more challenge, take that foot off the wall and make sure that your pelvis stays level in 3D as you go!
Front-to-back movements that engage those powerhouse muscles around your hips will always be a win!
Hip thrusters, deadlifts and kettlebell swings are other great options.
And if it’s still stuck?
So now you’ve learned to use those hips to drive you forward. Hopefully, that has made things feel a little better, but what if they are still cranky?
The pelvis moves in 3D, and forces act on it in all directions. When tilted anteriorly, we often get hiked up and rotated through the pelvis. Say you typically feel tighter through the left hip flexors. You may also be:
Hiked up through the pelvis on the left side
Rotating towards the right
In cases like that, we need to address some of the other patterns that the pelvis likes to hang out in, as they too could be contributing to some “cheats” as you move and try to find that hip extension that we know is so key to running well.
If this feels familiar, try this:
Assuming the L side is the one that typically feels more tight.
Push into the wall with the left foot as you extend up through the hip, stopping before arching the back.
Again, keep the left foot rooted through the heel, base of the big toe and base of the 5th toe.
Hug the right knee into the chest and hike the R hip up like you’re drawing it closer to your shoulder.
Hold for 5-10 seconds, lower and repeat.
The goal? Learn to drive through the hip using the posterior muscles, moving into your available extension and fighting that asymmetrically hiked and rotated pelvic positioning as you’re at it!
So, should I stop stretching?
Not necessarily. If stretching the front of your hips feels beneficial, then, by all means, continue. A series of dynamic movements before your run can significantly improve your performance, especially if you've been sedentary for a while.
We also encourage regular mobility practice as a way of tuning into your body’s needs. If something feels more resistant than usual, it may be worth tuning into it before it spirals into changes in how you move that ask more of other tissues until they fail.
Stretching and mobility work can be a huge win and can temporarily reduce the sensation of tightness!
We’re simply suggesting you not default to stretching in isolation, as the better long-term strategy is to consider ways to fight the patterns leading to that tightness.
In this case, that means building your capacity to extend the hip and drive yourself forward.
Are you in Toronto or Hamilton, Ontario and keen to dive deeper?
Our team of running Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, Osteopathic Manual Practitioners, and Strength and Conditioning Coaches is always keen to help you find strategies best suited to your body and goals.
And, of course, you can always reach out with questions! Let’s chat!