SupremeTight at the front of your hip?
You stand up after a long meeting and take a few steps before you straighten. Kicking, sprinting or lifting your knee pinches at the front. Your lower back aches too. Your hip flexors spend all day shortened and they're letting you know.
Nick Monczakowski 4.9 from 74 Google reviews · 13+ years
Bent at the hip all day.
Most of us spend the day with our hips folded. Your hip flexors adapt to the position you spend the most time in.
The commute
Sat in the car or on the train.
The desk
Hours in a chair with your hips bent.
The drive home
Sat down again.
The run or five-a-side
Then you ask those same short muscles to stretch out at speed.
Short muscles. Long days.
Sitting shortens them.
Hours with your hips bent and the hip flexors adapt to that length. Standing up asks them to stretch further than they're used to.
They pull on your lower back.
The psoas attaches to the lower spine. When it's tight it tips the pelvis forward and your lower back takes the strain.
Your glutes switch off.
A tight front and sleepy glutes go together. Your hip flexors then work even harder when you run or kick.
The front of the hip, properly.
Psoas & iliacus
Slow, careful work on the deep hip flexors to release the pull on your lower back.
Rectus femoris
The quad that crosses the hip. Often the tight one in runners and footballers.
TFL
A small muscle at the front of the hip that tightens with sitting and running and feeds into the IT band.
Glutes
Getting your glutes working again takes load off the front.
Hip flexor myths. Busted.
“I just need to stretch more.”
Tap to flip →Stretching helps once the muscle is released. Stretching a tight, overworked hip flexor often just irritates it.
“It's my lower back, not my hips.”
Tap to flip →Often it's both. Tight hip flexors pull on your lower back, which is why treating the front of the hip can ease back pain.
“Only athletes get tight hip flexors.”
Tap to flip →Desk workers and drivers get them just as often. Sitting is the most common cause.
Moving freely. In their words.
“I work manual labour for 9 hours a day and my back was in so much pain. I couldn't stand up straight and could barely hobble through the front door. After a 1-hour session there was a huge improvement in my back pain and hip mobility.”
John · Manual worker“I play football and he really helped me with my recovery and making sure my body felt good week after week.”
Joshua · Footballer“He quickly identified areas that needed work which massively helped with my mobility issues.”
Steve · MobilityOne hour. Unfolded.
- 01
Talk
How much you sit, how you train and what sets it off.
- 02
Assess
Hands-on assessment of the front of the hip, glutes and lower back, plus how you stand and move.
- 03
Treat
Release of the deep hip flexors, quads and TFL, then the glutes.
- 04
Plan
A couple of stretches that actually work and simple ways to break up your sitting.
Before you book for your hip flexors.
Can sports massage help tight hip flexors?
Yes. Release of the psoas, iliacus, rectus femoris and TFL eases the tightness and the pull on your lower back. Most people feel looser standing up after the first session.
Is psoas massage uncomfortable?
The psoas sits deep, so Nick works slowly and checks in as he goes. It can feel intense but shouldn't be painful. You can stop or adjust at any point.
Can tight hip flexors cause lower back pain?
Yes. The psoas attaches to the lower spine. When it's tight it tips the pelvis forward and your lower back arches and aches, especially when you stand for a long time.
How many sessions will I need?
Most people feel clearly freer within 2 to 4 sessions, especially with a few simple stretches between sessions.
Where is the practice?
Beverley Road, New Malden KT3 4AW. About a 10-minute walk from New Malden station with free street parking nearby. Open Monday to Friday, 11am to 7pm.
When to see your GP first
Call 999 or go to A&E straight away if you have a fall where you can't put weight on your leg, or sudden severe hip or groin pain with a fever.
Call NHS 111 or see your GP before booking if you have hip or groin pain with any of these:
- Deep groin pain that's constant or getting worse
- A lump in your groin or lower tummy
- Pain at night that doesn't ease with rest
- Hip pain with unexplained weight loss or feeling unwell
Not sure? WhatsApp Nick a quick description first. If massage isn't the right first step, he'll tell you before you book.
Tight hips pull on everything.
Stand up in one go.
- £80 first session, assessment included
- Mon–Fri 11am–7pm
- Near New Malden station · free street parking
- Personal reply from Nick, usually same day
“Not just trying to workout the issues I came in with but getting a really good understanding of what was causing them and how to stay on top of them.”