Parents 11 DD and hip flexers

[FlippinLilysMom]

My DD, who just turned 11, saw the PT that comes to our gym once a week and while working with my DD called one of the coaches over. She mentioned to the coach that my DD's hip flexers should not be this tight at her age and showed the coach some stretches that my DD should be doing every day to work on her hip flexers. Just wondering if any of you with DD's around this age also faced tight hip flexers and did any stretches help?? Or will this continue to be an issue for her??

 

[twinmomma]

I'd love to know what the stretches are - DD is tight there too...

 

[calli]

Is she currently having any pain or problems in the gym? I like preventative PT assessments , but I wouldn't worry about the findings too much if she is not having any issues, but would have her incorporate the stretches if possible.

 

[ladybird]

Yes, please share!

 

[Seeker]

It's pretty common for this sort of thing to ebb and flow along growth and training patterns. Tightness almost always follows growth or a change/increase in training.

It sounds like she wasn't having pain, so that is good. Do the stretches and just monitor it, but don't worry. It's a blessing they caught it now before is caused an issue.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

All for stretches, would love to know.

 

[kimute]

Yes! DD, 11, also saw a PT for some hip pain and he said she has really tight hip flexors and tight psoas and that she needs to stretch/roll these out for her pain to go away and to properly use glute muscles. She has been rolling out on a lacrosse ball for a few weeks and it seems to help. He is also doing some focused glute strengthening exercises with her. Interesting to hear it might be an age/growth thing.

 

[duyetanh]

Wallymart has rollers, they work great for flexing those flexors.

 

[Seeker]

Yes! DD, 11, also saw a PT for some hip pain and he said she has really tight hip flexors and tight psoas and that she needs to stretch/roll these out for her pain to go away and to properly use glute muscles. She has been rolling out on a lacrosse ball for a few weeks and it seems to help. He is also doing some focused glute strengthening exercises with her. Interesting to hear it might be an age/growth thing.

It may not be related to growth in this case, but it often can be. Bones grow before muscles, tendons and ligaments lengthen -- it takes them a little while to adjust to their new size. During that period, flexibility can be impacted and patterns of movement, muscles used to execute a skill, etc. become slightly tweaked. Sometimes, another muscle is used to compensate and it creates an imbalance.

Imagine your legs suddenly being an inch longer....how different would it be just to go up and down steps or to do something simple like skipping. The difference may be subtle, but it does change how it all flows together and what muscles are engaged to do certain things. Now imagine doing what our gymnasts do with those newly 1-in longer legs (or arms or whatever)....those subtle difference can have a big impact when they perform skills that require rebounding or rotation. Their center of gravity can change slightly, throwing things off.

All this is to say -- just be mindful during growth spurts. Extra stretching, massage, epsom salt bath, etc. can help bridge the gap while they adjust. Better to be aware and try to prevent.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Well I know it's not attributed to a growth spurt, in a year she has only grown 1/2 inch! Will find out more about the stretches and will share here. Thank you all for the feedback and advice! Much appreciated!

 

[meganliz77]

I digress a little, but worth sharing --- My DD was having some hip and hip flexor issues (pain)... took her to the chiropractor kind of on a whim and discovered her pelvis was actually out of place. One adjustment later and she was feeling a million times better. It was throwing everything off for her, and we really had no idea except pain in the hip.

 

[2028Dad]

Tight posas is very common in school age kids and adults really. Think of the position students sit in most of the day. Bodies will adapt to this and the muscles will tighten due to periods of not being used correctly. I always use the up stream/downstream philosophy when addressing issues like this. You need to loosen everything around the area in order to better address the tightness. Bodies will compensate for mechanical dysfunction by altering movement patterns around the area. Focus on creating more mobilization of the lats and the hamstrings in order to free up space for the psoas to move and function correctly.

Here is a link to a stretch that I use extensively! It is one of the best things you can do. Some will feel it in the quad more, but the effect on the Psoas will be be there.