A much wider group than most people expect. Anyone coming in with an upper thigh complaint, quad strain, hamstring tear, adductor or abductor problem, gets their hip flexor function assessed as a matter of course. Strength, length, tightness, weakness - all of it. The hip flexors sit at the centre of so many movement patterns that they're almost always part of the picture.

Beyond that, I see hip flexor tightness and weakness constantly in people with lower back pain, particularly those with an anterior pelvic tilt, which usually means weak abdominals, tight back extensors, and weak glutes all feeding into each other.

The most common group walking through the door? Bike riders, long-distance drivers, people with desk jobs, and anyone whose gym program is heavy on some muscles and neglecting others. If you sit a lot, your hip flexors are almost certainly shortened and underperforming. It's just a matter of whether it's causing symptoms yet.

Release the tightness first, then rebuild the strength underneath it. In that order. Trying to strengthen a tight, overloaded hip flexor before you've freed it up doesn't work.

• Roll the ITB and upper thigh fascial tightness with a Footeez
  
• Trigger the TFL directly with a Pocket Physio Rocket to reduce muscle tightness at the source
  
• Stretch the hip flexors and quads properly using a Stretchband Technique matters here, so take the time to isolate the right muscle rather than just going through the motions
  
• Strengthen weak hip flexors with Mini Bands to build the capacity the muscle needs to stop getting overloaded in the first place
  

Done consistently, this combination addresses both the symptom and the cause.

It's not uncommon in athletes, though it's less frequent in the general population. The mechanism is almost always explosive - kicking a ball hard, sudden acceleration or deceleration, or a sharp change of direction that loads the hip flexor beyond what it can handle in that moment.

When it happens, you know about it. Sharp pain in the hip or upper thigh, immediate weakness, sometimes a burning sensation, swelling, and real difficulty walking normally. It's the kind of injury that has a clear moment of onset rather than building gradually.

First steps: ice and compression with an Ice Mate Pro to manage pain and swelling, and get a proper diagnosis from a health professional as soon as possible. Grade and location of the tear will determine everything about how it's managed from there.

Depends entirely on what you've got:

• Minor (Grade 1) tear - 2-4 weeks with good management
  
• Grade 2 tear - around 4-6 weeks
  
• Tendon or musculotendinous junction involvement - 12 weeks or more out of competition
  

And as always, an accurate diagnosis isn't optional, it's what determines whether your management plan actually matches the injury. Treating a Grade 2 like a Grade 1 is one of the most common reasons people end up with recurring hip flexor problems.