Hip Flexor Muscle Pain

The hip flexor muscles are responsible for bending your leg where it attaches to the torso and letting you bend forward. Hip flexor muscle pain, which occurs in the groin region where the thigh meets the pelvis, is most likely caused by a hip flexor strain.

Definition

• Hip flexor strain occurs when muscle or tendon fibers are torn, leading to inflammation and pain.

Cause

• The cause of hip flexor strain is muscle overuse or sudden trauma to the muscle. Although anyone can experience a strain, according to the University of Michigan Health System, hip flexor muscle pain is common in people who bicycle, who jump or run with high knee kicks, who do forceful kicking activities (such as soccer players), and who practice the martial arts.

Diagnosis

• Your doctor examines your hip and thigh, where the muscle and tendon will be tender.

Treatment

• Ways to treat hip flexor strain include icing the injured area for about 20 minutes every three to four hours until the pain goes away, taking anti-inflammatory medications as recommended by your doctor, and doing rehabilitation exercises to regain range of motion and strength.

Considerations

• To recover from hip flexor muscle pain and strain, you need to change your activity to one that does not make the strain worse. According to the University of Michigan Health System, it's safe to return to your normal activities when all three of these conditions are met: you have full range of motion in the leg on the injured side, you have full leg strength on the injured side, and you can walk straight without pain or limping.