An alternative perspective to “tight muscles”
One of the most common symptoms that athletes struggle to address is “tightness.” Three different athletes may be experiencing the exact same symptoms of “tightness,” but all three could be experiencing these symptoms for different reasons.
One of the most common symptoms that athletes struggle to address is “tightness.” Tightness is most often described as a feeling of stiffness or restriction and can be present at rest or with activity. Tightness can be an especially challenging symptom to address because these feelings of tightness are not always correlated with measurable limitations in joint or muscle mobility. In addition, tightness is a complex symptom that can have many different origins. Three different athletes may be experiencing the exact same symptoms of hip flexor “tightness,” but all three could be experiencing these symptoms for different reasons.
In clinical practice, one of the most common origins of tightness is muscle weakness. In our examples of the three athletes with hip flexor tightness, the first individual is experiencing these symptoms of tightness due to a lack of abdominal and iliopsoas strength. As a primary hip flexor, the iliopsoas is also an important trunk stabilizer. When someone has poor trunk stability control due to weakness throughout the abdominals and deep back muscles called the multifidi, their body depends on the iliopsoas to generate stability during sporting and daily tasks. As a stabilizer then, the body requires the iliopsoas to remain stiff, which results in an inability to effectively relax this muscle when the leg goes backward such as the swing phase of walking and running. In addition, the iliopsoas becomes strong in this one position of stability and in turn loses the strength necessary to pull the femur forward such as when going up steep inclines.
This first athlete needs to work on improving core stability during lower extremity and upper extremity movement.
The iliopsoas will also need to be strengthened throughout the entire hip extension (leg backward) to flexion (leg forward) range of motion.
With this recommended program symptoms of stiffness will resolve. No matter how much this particular athlete stretches, “hip flexor tightness” will not be eliminated!
Another common origin of “tightness” is injury. Our second athlete is experiencing hip flexor tightness due to an overuse injury—hip flexor tendinitis – following an especially long weekend of ski touring. In this case, the individual’s nervous system uses the symptom of tightness to improve outcomes with healing. In the acute phases of muscle healing, excessive stretching limits the success of muscle tissue regeneration. The body provides the signal of tightness in the short term to restrict hip extension (leg backwards) and thus facilitate long-term tissue strength and resilience. In the case of an injury, symptoms of tightness that last longer than two weeks may require additional medical attention to guide tissue healing and regeneration.
Our third athlete is experiencing tightness in the front of the hip after irritating a past injury that was not successfully rehabbed. In this case, the athlete’s symptoms of tightness are present because the hip flexors and anterior hip capsule are shortened due to a past muscle strain. Here, the symptoms of tightness correspond to a true tissue restriction of motion. This athlete would benefit from targeted—and consistent—intervention to address the mobility limits through manual therapy, specific stretching, and exercise with a focus on neuromuscular coordination. In the presence of a past injury with subsequent tissue stiffness, it can take as long as three months to see a substantial change in tissue mobility.
In summary, regardless of the cause, tightness anywhere in the body can significantly limit athletic performance. Several reasons lie behind symptoms of ‘tightness’ and stretching is often not the best answer. When experiencing tightness for longer than three months, consider consulting with one of our physical therapists to help you diagnose and successfully overcome this discomfort.