Hip Strains: Important Facts You Need to Know

What are hip strains?

● These strains can be a simple stretch in the muscles or tendons, a partial or complete tear of the muscle fibers, or a combination of muscles and tendons.
● Hip strains can be mild, moderate, or severe depending on the extent of the injury, and can occur at any time.

Causes

● Hip strains occur when one of the muscles (gluteals, adductor muscles, or iliopsoas muscles) and tendons supporting the hip joint become stretched or torn.
● Hip strains happen for the following reasons:
o stretching,
o failure to warm up properly before exercising,
o attempting to do too much too quickly when first starting to exercise,
o a fall,
o a direct blow during contact sports, and
o overuse of muscles (exhausting the muscle).
● In addition, hip strains can occur when muscles and tendons have slowly weakened over time by negative movements like squatting, deadlifts, and lunges.
● Once a muscle is injured, it can be reinjured.
o Repeated strains in the muscles surrounding the hip and pelvis are called an athletic pubalgia (sports hernia). This is a strain or tear of any soft tissue (tendons, ligaments in the lower abdomen or groin area).

Signs and symptoms

● Pain and tenderness in the injured area
● Increased pain when using the muscle
● Swelling
● Limited range of motion (Severe strains can limit your ability to move your hip)
● Muscle weakness

Treatment

● Mild strains improve with rest, ice, compression, and elevation of the affected hip; NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, can help reduce swelling and relieve pain.
● If you have a severe hip strain, please contact your primary care physician or general practitioner.
● Severe strains may require physical therapy or other medical treatment.