What is a hip flexor strain?

Pain at the front of your hip after a sprint, a kick or a long climb can leave you guessing what is hurt. This page names the injury in simple terms.

Hip flexor strain, defined

Cleveland Clinic defines it this way: "A hip flexor strain is an injury to one of your hip flexors, the muscles where your thigh meets your hip." So the strain is an injury to a muscle.

How common it is and what is torn

The same source calls it "a tear in your muscle tissue" and says it is "one of the most common injuries, especially among athletes." That makes it a familiar injury and not a rare one.

Where to read next and when to book a visit

For wider reading, try the Cleveland Clinic page on muscle strains, the MedlinePlus overview of strains and sprains, and the Cleveland Clinic page on groin strains. If your pain is hard to place, the NHS page on hip pain in adults is a broader read on hip pain. Skip anything that sharply increases the pain while you read up. If the ache does not ease or keeps returning, book a visit with a clinician in the Woodland Park area.

The short version

Naming the injury is the first step in sorting it from other causes of hip pain. Write down where it hurts and what you were doing when it began, and bring that to the visit.