How to treat a hip flexor strain

Your hip flexors serve an important purpose in regard to daily functions. They allow you to bend at the waist and lift your knees. Motions such as kicking, running and jumping are made possible by these tendons. Once diagnosed with a pulled hip flexor, there are steps that can be taken to help treat the injury and get you back to sports and other daily activities.

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Ice
• Elastic bandage
• Anti-inflammatory medications

1. • 1
     Get plenty of rest. Rest will allow the tendon to heal and prevent further injury. Not allowing for a proper recovery time can further injure the tendon and may result in a tear. Typical recovery time for a hip flexor pull is anywhere from five days to several months, depending on severity.
   • 2
     Use ice to help reduce swelling and keep pain at bay. You should ice the area for 15 minutes at a time up to five times a day. Make sure not to apply ice to unprotected skin as this may cause irritation.
   • 3
     Consider using an elastic bandage to compress the area. This will further help to reduce swelling and help to stabilize the injured area. Keep the bandage tight enough to compress, but do not make it so tight that circulation is compromised.
   • 4
     Keep the area elevated. You can use pillows to accomplish this. This will help to keep fluids from pooling in the injured area and reduce swelling.
   • 5
     Take anti-inflammatory and pain medications as directed by your doctor. If the pain persists or gets worse your doctor should be contacted, so a new evaluation can occur.

Read more: How to run with a hip flexor strain http://www.ehow.com/how_8041346_run-hip-flexor-injury.html

What is a Hip Flexor Strain?

Hip Flexor Strain is a muscle (psoas) strain felt in the front part of the hip. It is often associated with speed training or compensating for another injury, especially Achilles tendonitis or plantar fasciitis. A ‘hip flexor strain’ or a ‘pulled hip flexor’ is an over-stretching or tear in the hip flexor muscle. The hip flexor muscle is actually made up of ‘two main’ muscles – the ilicus and psoas muscles. These muscles run from the back of the lower spine to the front of the thigh. The difference between a strain and a sprain - is that a sprain is an injury to a ligament, while a strain is an injury to a tendon or muscle.

Strains of the hip flexor muscle, like strains of the quadriceps, usually occur during sprinting or kicking, often as a result of an overload of the muscles, or trying to move the muscles too fast (as when kicking forcefully playing soccer or football or anytime sudden changes of direction are involved). 

Like all muscle strains, they maybe graded as mild (grade 1) moderate (grade 2) or severe, complete tears (grade 3).




What are the symptoms of a hip flexor strain?


 
The symptoms of a hip flexor injury can be graded 1, 2 or 3 depending on severity. 

• A grade 1 injury could consist of a ‘stretch’ of the muscle or a small micro tear in the muscle. 
• A grade 2 injury could be a partial tear in the muscle and,
• A grade 3 injury is usually a severe, complete rupture of the muscle. 

The player feels a grade 2 or grade 3 injury as a sudden pain the hip region during an activity requiring explosive muscle contraction (for example sprinting or kicking in soccer). There is local pain and tenderness and, if the strain is severe, swelling and bruising 

Grade 1: What are the symptoms?
The player may have tightness and pain in the front and very top of their thigh during a game but will still be able to walk properly. The player will usually notice the injury after cooling down or the following day. The player probably won’t have much swelling, but will have trouble or some mild pain when sprinting, kicking a football or changing direction quickly. Often the player may be able to finish the game.

Grade 2: What are the symptoms?
During training or a game, the player may notice a ‘sharp pull’ or ‘cramp’ in the front and very top of their thigh. The player may feel they have ‘strained their groin’. The player will probably be unable to walk properly and will not be able to sprint or kick a football effectively.

Grade 3: What are the symptoms?
The player will often feel a severe pain in the front and very top of their thigh while kicking or sprinting, which will almost always stop the player from playing. A static contraction of the muscle will be painful and might produce a bulge in the muscle. A player will be in severe pain and will notice swelling. However, complete tears of the hip flexor muscle are uncommon. In the long-term, they heal well with physiotherapy.

What can you do?

To see if you have strained your hip flexor muscle try the following maneuver: while standing, flex your hip such that your knee comes up towards the chest, then have a friend apply moderate pressure to pull the knee down while you resist. This test should result in pain similar to your symptoms.

If this is a grade 1 or 2 strain: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE), as well as some gentle stretching exercises

You may be able to run just fine at slower speeds and shorter distances, but as the distance or speed increases; watch out - it can bite. Be sure to fully recover before resuming progressive training.

If you suspect this a grade 3 strain, see a sports injury professional (a physiotherapist or sports doctor) - who can advise on the correct rehabilitation and guide them back to training.

Killer Leg Combo

Weighted lunge. 
Place a barbell behind your back on your shoulders or use dumbbells resting on your shoulders or to the side for added resistance, then step forward into a lunge. The key thing is to make sure your knee does not go past your toe on your front foot. Step back to your original position and repeat with the other leg. This move is great for shaping your quads, hamstrings and butt (glutes).

Plie squat. 
Stand with your feet apart, at a 45-degree angle, holding a dumbbell in your hands. Just like a regular squat, lower your body and try to get your thighs parallel to the ground. This exercise is great for working the inner thighs, in addition to your glutes.

Weighted bridge. 
Lie on your back and dumbbell or weight plate on your stomach, then push through your heels to drive your pelvis up. Lower your pelvis and repeat the motion.

Prisoner jump squat. 
Put your hands behind your head, with elbows out of your perifial vision, squeeze your shoulder blades together, then squat down and explode at the top into a jump. When you land go right into your next squat to absorb the impact before jumping up again. This will get your heart rate up get your calves involved, in addition to working your glutes, legs and core.

For a Killer leg workout do these exercises back to back with a break in between sets. Aim for 3-4 sets. Reps with depend on your fitness level, anywhere between 10-20 reps. Let your body guide you - do as many as you can without compromising your form.

Breakfast that keeps you FULL

Vegetarian Egg Bake
Ingredients

• 10 egg whites, beaten
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat (2%) organic milk
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup salsa

Preparation
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine egg whites, milk, and pepper in a large bowl and set aside.
Spray a large, heavy skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and spinach and sauté another 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Transfer vegetables to egg mixture and combine thoroughly. Pour into a lightly oiled glass pie plate and bake 15 minutes or until eggs are set. Do not overcook.
Cut into wedges and serve at room temperature with salsa.
Makes 4 servings.
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Nutrition Facts
Number of Servings: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 96
Total Fat: 1 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 1 mg
Sodium: 315 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 11 g
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 11 g