I strained a muscle in my hip flexor (mild strain, pain but no decrease in mobility) about a month ago. I thought it would heal by itself but there’s not been much improvement, in part because I have been traveling and walking a lot for work, so haven’t been able to rest it completely. I had been trying to do gentle treadmill runs and slow hikes but that clearly wasn’t helping so I stopped running completely a week ago to try to let it heal. Can anyone recommend anything (total rest? PT exercises?)
Hi Rachel,
Sorry to hear this and I’ve been there! While there could be many factors contributing, what I have found is that foam rolling the adductors, quad, outer hip can all help. I’d avoid stretching it alot as this could delay healing. It wouldn’t hurt to get it checked out. Amanda Robertson is a local PT that specializes in running. She’s really great.
Stephanie
I agree with Stephanie. Getting a solid diagnosis for the actual cause of the hip flexor pain is important since many structures and muscles can contribute. A PT like Amanda @arobertson or a therapist like Gerrit Van Loon (@gvanloon) can do that. Otherwise, you could end up doing a lot of random exercises that don’t help because they’re mistargeted.
Sorry not to be more specific, but that’s a complex part of the body.