I've been developing hip flexor pain over the past 6 months or so. It's been steadilly getting worse and worse. I only have it on my left side. It doesn't hurt while I'm riding, or immediately after riding, but the day after a long ride it's very stiff and hurts to walk. I've tried a multitude of stretching exercises. Any ideas on what I could try next? If it's a fit issue what would I try tweaking first? Saddle down, saddle forward, saddle back...?

Thanks

if you dont, you should. warm up w/ 5-10 minutes on the bike. lie on your back and pull both your knees to your chest. ahhhhh. do that fro 30 seconds. stand up with your feet 4 feet apart. turn your right foot out. slowly rotate your abdomen so it is pointing over your right leg. slowly drop your right knee to the floor keeping your back (left) leg straight. welcome to your ilio psoas muscles. those are just a couple of my favorites. im sure if you google hip flexor stretch you could find lots more. i stretch militantly and i couldnt be happier. i also post about it all the time and i'm sure people are starting to notice :D

if you dont, you should. warm up w/ 5-10 minutes on the bike. lie on your back and pull both your knees to your chest. ahhhhh. do that fro 30 seconds. stand up with your feet 4 feet apart. turn your right foot out. slowly rotate your abdomen so it is pointing over your right leg. slowly drop your right knee to the floor keeping your back (left) leg straight. welcome to your ilio psoas muscles. those are just a couple of my favorites. im sure if you google hip flexor stretch you could find lots more. i stretch militantly and i couldnt be happier. i also post about it all the time and i'm sure people are starting to notice :D

I've done lots of stretching ... post and pre-ride ... no improvement.

the studies I've about regarding stretching say it helps about 25% of people, it's neutral for about 50%, and it hurts the remaining 25%. I have never believed that stretching did a darn thing for me.
could be that our hero's stretching has left him with chronic inflammation, along with the rest of it.

the studies I've about regarding stretching say it helps about 25% of people, it's neutral for about 50%, and it hurts the remaining 25%. I have never believed that stretching did a darn thing for me.
could be that our hero's stretching has left him with chronic inflammation, along with the rest of it.

Ha! I need to find those studies... the next time I go to physical therapy for an injury and they say, "Do you stretch?" I can heartily respond, "Never!" and hand them a copy of that study.

I hate stretching. What a boring waste of time. Hopefully my coach doesn't read these boards. :p

The folks who believe in stretching treat it as a sacrament, and when you question it's value to you they get all lathered up.
There was a study that someone posted a link to on this board -- as a matter of fact, now that I think about it, an exercise physiologist in my club came up with it, I believe, and I think I posted it here. The study showed that stretching was at best neutral for endurance sports in terms of performance. The authors suggested that stretching's value was limited to those activities where fluid motions at the ends of range of motion (such as fluid wrist movements in dance, or extreme flexion in gymnastics -- in other words, where the point is the fluidity of the movement or the range of the movement and not its speed or the power behind it).
Makes sense to me -- I can move my legs in pedal circles, because that's what I spend my time doing. I don't need to increase the movement beyond the flexion and extension I actually use. Some guys in my club were apoplectic.
Warm-up is important; yes, I've got that. Stretching? Bah.

Hard to say, maybe you are over doing it on the stretching. For me I've found that I can stretch my hip flexors too much, and I pay for it. Seems like a muscle that's sensitive to too little/too much. A trained person might be able to look at you and give an informed opinion. Or see a chiro, massage therapist, etc. I'm someone who needs to stretch but as far as my hip flexors have also overdone it and payed for it.

good luck,
hrv.

that the only important study is how you feel. Feel tight? Then stretch! Some people , whether because of genetics, desk job, poor posture, etc, are candidates for needing to follow a lifetime program of stretching. I'm in that group. If you're not, more power to you. Simple stuff.

who knows about body mechanics and the body's interface with the bike. Also might try to incorporate some yoga. Might even have to take some time off the bike to recuperate.

who knows about body mechanics and the body's interface with the bike. Also might try to incorporate some yoga. Might even have to take some time off the bike to recuperate.

I went through the full Wobble Naught Fit process so that's already checked off the list.

I just don't know if maybe there is something unique that I need to address and make a minor adjustment to that setup. I suppose I can give the Wobble-Naught guys a ring and see if they have any recommendations.