How to heal hip flexor

[Sabin]

I searched "flexor pain squat" in previous posts because my hip flexor is killing me on front squats.

It seems that i have been bouncing off of my hip flexors at the bottom and that has fucked them up. I also bounced off of them doing high bar squats as well, and that may have initiated the problem, but I haven't done that recently.

What do you suggest to heal the hip flexor? massage, advil, NO stretching I assume.

KSC: you had a post about how it is a bitch to heal tendinitis in the hip flexors. Well, what does it involve? Looks like I should start now.

Thanks,

Sabin

[Mark Rippetoe]

I suggest you read the book, the part regarding hip flexor injuries. The things you need to know are in there. KSC will suggest the same thing, I'll ween.

[Robert Callahan]

I was discussing this recently on CF and catalyst forums. The short of it was that front and high bar back squats both have a greatly reduced hamstring contribution to the lift and as such the quads and hip flexors must work harder to make up the difference.

My question would be if this is true wouldn't that make low bar back squats a good alternative for oly lifters who are frying their hip flexors from all the front squats, cleans and such?

-Robert

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

I would add if your hip flexors are acting up, your knees are sliding forward at the bottom of the squat.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Robert, why do you think the hip flexors are involved in an exercise that consists entirely of an eccentric and then a concentric hip extension?

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Sabin,

My hip flexors first got the tendonitis when I introduced front squats to my program. I was going super deep and relaxing too much at the bottom which allowed my knees to slide foward. I was doing it some too on the back squat but not as bad as fronts. I tried training through it for a while then eventually just had to take about 10 days off from any type of squatting along with lots of NSAIDs. IMO, if you got it bad, then just rest for a while, Ibuprofen a bunch and read the book while you are resting.

[Sesami]

Robert, why do you think the hip flexors are involved in an exercise that consists entirely of an eccentric and then a concentric hip extension?

I was under the impression that hip flexors have two functions: hip flexion and knee extension, the latter of which is used in the squat. Is this correct?

[Mark Rippetoe]

The hip flexors are the rectus femoris, the sartorius, and the tensor fascia latae, only the first one of which has any knee extension function. But in this capacity the rectus femoris is using its distal function, and is thus not a "hip flexor". We don't actively "flex" our hips when we squat, any more than we use our lats to lower the bar when we press overhead. But when you allow your knees to travel forward at the bottom of a squat, the distal tension pulls against the proximal insertion of the RF and makes your ASIS sore.

[Robert Callahan]

The hip flexors are the rectus femoris, the sartorius, and the tensor fascia latae, only the first one of which has any knee extension function. But in this capacity the rectus femoris is using its distal function, and is thus not a "hip flexor". We don't actively "flex" our hips when we squat, any more than we use our lats to lower the bar when we press overhead. But when you allow your knees to travel forward at the bottom of a squat, the distal tension pulls against the proximal insertion of the RF and makes your ASIS sore.

So in a front squat with the knees traveling much further forward than a low bar back squat and little hamstring involvement The rectus femoris has to work much harder at knee extension and this would lead to increased tension against the proximal insertion of the rectus femoris thus requiring more work by the hip flexors (even if it is isometric)?

Or would this only occur when you have shitty form on front squats?

-Robert

[Mark Rippetoe]

It only occurs even in the front squat if the forward knee travel occurs at the bottom.