The hip flexors are often overlooked and not thought of as an important muscle to exercise for the improvement of strength. Many runners that have suffered from lower limb injuries had low gluteal activation. We believe that training of the glutes is a great way to improve efficiency and even speed and running performance. When there is tightness in the glutes, this hip flexor tightness may lessen gluteal activation.
Even though hip flexor tightness doesn’t always mean strength, this with activation are important for pelvic stability, hip stability, and for overall running. We see injured runners who have difficulty getting their hip flexion with other hip muscles really activated.
In a study In 2005, it was found that injured runners had significantly weaker hip flexor as well as muscle groups on the side that was injured. This was compared to a group of non-injured runners where leg dominance did not influence the injured leg. This study showed that by improving hip flexor strengths reduced PFP. We believe that this study and others show that hip flexor strength should be a part of assessments for runners who wish reach peak performance and prevent future injuries.
