- hip flexors stretch-The Common Mistakes of Soft Tissue Work and Self-Rehab"

Lower back pain with irritation of the L3, L4 nerve roots can cause pain and spasm in the rectus femora’s and pain and spasm in this muscle will aggravate lower back pain. The hip flexors stretch muscle is one of the four muscles termed as quadriceps muscles. The quadriceps is the muscles in front of the thigh and is responsible for straightening the knee.

The rectus femora’s arises from an area on the pelvic bone known as anterior superior iliac spine and the part of the bone just have the hip joint. It inserts at the upper border of the knee cap or patella and also to the tubercle on the front of the shin bone or tibia.

Its action is to bend the thigh upwards or hip flexion and to strengthen the knee or knee extension. It receives the L2-L4 nerve root supply through the femoral nerve. Since rectus femora’s is the only muscle of the quadriceps that crosses over the hip joint as well as the knee joint, this muscle is more valuable to trauma than the other three quadriceps muscles which are vastus lateral is, vast us mediallis and vastus intermedius.

When the hip and knee are bent as in sitting, crouching or squatting rectus femora’s and tensor fascia lata muscles are very tight at the hip and excessively stretched at the knee. This predisposes the muscles to get easily traumatized.

Additionally aging of the L3, L4 nerve root injury or irritation from presence of degenerative arthritis of the spine, slipped disc, bulging disc are also responsible for underlying neurogenic weakness in this muscle.

Since the quadriceps is essential for keeping the knee steady when going down steps, inclines and in the walking phase after the heel strikes the ground, weakness of the rectus femora’s and the tensor fascia lata which also has the L4 root fibers can predispose the person to fall.

To strengthen the rectus femora’s and tensor fascia lata muscles, the principle involves education starting first with shortening contractions of the spinal extensors from the neck to the lower back and the hip extensor muscles.

The hip flexor tightness is secondary to imbalanced contraction of the hip flexor muscles such as rectus femora’s, tensor facial lata, abductor muscles and the iliopsoas muscles in the presence of weak back and hip extensors such as the gluteus maxim us, the lower part of the abductor Magnus muscle and the hamstring muscles.

When the knee is flexed, the hamstring muscles do not participate in straightening the hip extension. Therefore most of the strength of the hamstrings is directed to bending the knee flexion. The health education for shortening contractions of the spinal extensors and hip extensors muscles such as gluteus maxim us and abductor Magnus must be performed first to return strength to these muscles.

These extensor muscles are the main muscles constantly exposed to lengthening contractions at the hip making them weak. At the knee, the weakness in extension force results in unopposed pull of the knee flexor muscles.

The shortening and spasm in the knee flexor muscles such as the hamstrings and gastrocnemius muscles are difficult to release primarily. Therefore shortening contractions of the knee extensor muscles such as the rectus femoris, tensor fascia lata and the other three quadriceps muscles need to be performed first.

Now it is difficult to isolate these hip flexors stretch muscles to be individually trained for shortening contractions. Selective activation of these muscles is best performed with motor point stimulation using etoims twitch relief method. Now if you want to know more about lower back pain relief then please visit here.