Severe Hip Flexor Pain
Hip flexor pain is pain you experience at the front of your hip. Hip flexor injuries are common among athletes participating in soccer and running. You must have an understanding of hip anatomy to treat it well
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Hip Flexors
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Your hip flexors consists of three muscles--the rectus femoris, the psoas and the illiacus. Together, these muscles flex the hip. The rectus is a two-joint muscle as opposed to the other two, meaning it crosses the knee as well as the hip.
Causes
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Severe hip flexor pain is generally caused by a sudden contraction in one or more of the hip flexors such as when a soccer player kicks the ball very hard. It is sometimes caused by overuse of one or more of the muscles and the tendons, which then results in bursitis or tendinitis.
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Identification
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If you feel a sudden sharp pain in the hip flexor area and you just kicked a ball, broke into a sprint or made a cut, you pulled the hip flexors. In addition to severe pain, you may not be able to walk. You may have heard a snap. The pain may radiate down your thigh.
Treatment
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See your doctor immediately to determine the best treatment plan. Complete rupture of the hip flexor may require surgery. Rest and icing the area for a maximum 20 minutes at a time every 60 minutes should be part of your home treatment.
Prevention/Solution
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Always warm up thoroughly before participating in sports or exercising. Stretch your hip flexors often. To avoid overuse injuries, less is more, especially for beginning exercisers. Start slowly and build up to it. For example, do not run five miles the first time you run. Max two miles is wiser. Add about 10 percent more distance to your run every week.
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