I pull 2 times a week (DLs, Hang Cleans, Power Cleans, Rows, etc) and after the last few workouts have had some horrible hip flexor pain in my right hip/leg. It goes away after several days, but at 35, injury is something I always worry about.
Any suggestions you have before or after that i can do to protect myself?
I’m not pulling huge weight in DLs (5 sets of 5: 225, 245, 275, 275, 275) and I am careful on my form.
I know one leg is a little longer than the other, could that be it?
You do sumo or conventional pulls? Some guys (um, me) when they do sumo end up trying to use their quads to get the weight up and can pull a hip flexor.
In either case about all you can do is make sure you’re well warmed up and stretched out in the flexor department before your pulls.
The other possibility I heard of and experienced is a disc herniation or nerve irritation problem in the L4/5-S1 area. After I herniated a disc there and it intruded on a nerve root I had a goodly amount of tetanus and pain in the right hip flexor. You may be irritating a nerve in that area.
But you say your form is good so that is probably not it.
Please note - I am not a doctor.
You might give heavy pulling a break for a week or so as a test.
I know this is a very old thread but it popped up when doing a search for Hip Flexor exercises. I thought I’d add to this post in the even others later need to find cures for their Hip aches and pains.
Seated Butterly. Sit indian style (for you Millennials and younger thats what you call applesauce) and let your knees gently float towards the ground while slowly applying light pressure with your arms holding a stretch for 10-30 seconds.
Lunges
Hands on Hips slow and gradual
Dancer squats (learned this at my daughters ballerina classes years ago) aka Skater Squats
Get into a squat position with proper form back at a 45 degree angle and straight, hands on thighs, shift weight to one legs and lift up on this leg while raising the other leg to the side with the toes pointed forward. Your foot should be parallel with the knee of the leg supporting your body weight.
Psoas Holds
Like a marching army, in a standing position bend the knee and lift up to the sky so the chest and the upper leg form a 90 degree angle. Balance on the one leg keeping the other knee and thigh at hip level for about 20-40 seconds. Repeat with the other leg.
I’ve had right psoas/iliacus pain and trigger points for 18 years. Also history of herniated discs with sciatica, surgeries, glute and leg amnesia etc., etc. Psoas pain started with an acute episode of spondylolisthesis at L5-S1 from what amounts to very high lunges and step downs (moving bags of concrete over pallets). Get temporary relief with deep tissue massage and trigger point work and some with pin and stretch active release. No pain relief with static stretching.
Have just recently discovered that dynamic leg swing stretches work well on the psoas pain. Swing leg forward and back with emphasis on forward swing- stretches the glute and hamstring and flexes and stretches psoas. Then progress to full front swing and back into single leg rdl position. Very effective. Wish I’d discovered this about 99’-00’ Keeping foot “straight” with heel pointed up hits the psoas more on the back swing. Heel in and toes out opens up the iliacus a little more.