Weird Pain around the Hip

[Cousin Bo]

Hey Mark, was wondering if you can help me understand this weird pain I'm having and what it could be from. First I'll tell you where it is and when it hurts.

It hurts around the upper part of my quad about where the hip and quad muscles should connect of my right leg, sometimes the pain travels to the inner (near pelvic) and outer part of the quad (close to my butt). When looking at the anatomy of the femur I would guess its around the greater trochanter and the femoral neck, I'm not sure if it's a muscle pain or not.

It doesn't bother me when I squat, instead its a nagging pain I get after a squat work out the next day. I started to notice this when I was driving a car, I felt it mostly when I raised my leg to either push on the gas or the break. Actually I used to only feel it when I was sitting down and had to raise my leg to get more comfortable. [But] Lately, I can feel it a weird tightness all the time, especially when I'm taking a step. When my right leg is fully extended and almost all my weight is on the left leg and I'm getting ready to step with the right. The pain isn't the same as I'm when I'm walking it feels more like a tightness vs. a sharper pain when I raise my leg when sitting.

When I first started to feel this pain, I started to pay more attention to shoving my knees out when I squat. This pain isn't regular, it mostly starts after a volume squat work out or when my sets are sloppier than regular.

Just some stats for back round
Age 23
Weight 193
Height 5'11
Squat 345x5x1
Deadlift 405x5x1

Sorry if this is confusing I had a hard time explaining what I feel and where it is.

[Brian Zahn]

is this your hip flexor you're describing?

[Chode]

Sounds like hip flexor tendonitis. I've dealt with it myself. Usually caused by sloppy form, such as you have described. A short lay-off (1 week) and a return to lifting with light weights fixed it for me. Knees sliding forward at the bottom of the squat was my problem. Post a squat video?

[Will Morris]

Do you feel any numbness or tingling alongside the outside of your leg? Do you drive a lot, and if so, do you wear your seat belt really tight? How does your hip feel if you haven't done anything to make it mad?

[Cousin Bo]

After looking up hip flexor I think you guys are right, that is what it is.

Chode - My form is pretty solid I think, I do have some tendency to go on my toes once in a while but not major. I don't think my knees slide forward I def push them out to the side but I wasn't always focused on that like I am now.

William_morris - I don't drive a lot and don't really wear my seat belt tight. There is tightness though along the outside of my leg that sometimes makes my right knee feel weird. It doesn't hurt but like you said its a tight numbness that kind of runs down from my hip to my knee when I'm standing up. When I'm sitting down and move my leg up as if I wanted to put the leg onto my other knee there is more of a sharp pain. Like I said it doesn't always happen but this weekend has been the worst. Usually if its not acting up like this it might be a little sore the next day after squats and I forget about it.

[Chode]

Roll your IT band?

[Cousin Bo]

Roll your IT band?

If you mean PVC pipe or foam rolling, I haven't tried that before.

[Chode]

If you mean PVC pipe or foam rolling, I haven't tried that before.

Foam to start. Tightness down the outside of your thigh sounds like your IT band. I'm far from an expert on this though.

[Cousin Bo]

I'm going to be doing something after the gym now definitley. I'm more concerned about the hip flexor though. I've been doing some stretches and they're helping out. I hardly even feel it today. We'll see what happens after tonight's squats.

[Chode]

Really focus on keeping your back in extension and your hamstrings tight, this will take the strain off your hip flexor at the bottom of the movement.