I learned the hard way how improper care of the hip flexors can disrupt your overall health and fitness well being. As a youth, I was attracted to high intensity sports and workouts. This attraction only intensified as I matured and began having children. Since I did not have much knowledge about the science of fitness and exercise, I ignored basic fitness body care such as warming up, cooling down and stretching properly. I was lucky enough not to have any serious fitness related injury until I strained my hips and lower back simply by making my bed. Yes, sad to say, I was only flicking the top sheet in the air like I had done a thousand times when I felt a sharp pain shoot from my hip/groin area up to my lower back. My body seized and refused to loosen. As I stood there yelling for help, I could feel myself growing angry at this body I had proudly whipped into shape over the years. I had been good to it, or so I thought.
After a visit to my physician, a prescription for muscle relaxers and several miserable days of bed rest, I determined I needed to learn how I got into this situation in order to prevent the possibility of a chronic condition. I started my quest for knowledge at my local gym and the handy dandy world wide web. This is what I learned:
What in the World is a Hip Flexor?
Hip flexors are muscles that make up the front of the hip, helping us to bend, lift our knees and kick. Without proper maintenance they will tighten and shorten, making it harder to perform the above mentioned tasks. Those of us who like running and those who are sedentary either by choice or because of their profession are more susceptible, which was also my case. Tightened hip flexors affect proper form when working out, but most importantly, they can affect your ability to walk, bend, raise your legs and maintain good balance. Ignored flexors can also result in chronic lower back pain and risk of hip flexor strain. Take it if from me, neither of these are any fun, especially as we age.
