Groin/hip flexor are pain with pistols.

[JL]

A while ago I noticed that my right foot would be slightly lower on my L-sit work. I though nothing of it but a slight strength imbalance in the hip flexor. Now in the last three weeks I started experiencing a pain around the groin/hip flexor area. Basically, if I lift my right leg up to 90' degree, and rotate my leg internally, I feel pain in that area. When I do pistols it doesn't hurt when I squat on my right leg. I only feel a degree of pain after I complete the reps when I use the right leg as the balance leg, and squat with the left. I've rested it and done more specific stretches for the groin. It has helped, I don't feel the pain when rotating the leg inward, but I get the pain after doing pistols with my left leg.

Here is the part that scares me. When I lift my right leg up and put it down, I feel nothing. When I do the same with my right leg, I feel the hip joint rub, or something. I hope I didn't where something out. I'm going to restart L-sit work, and see if I get pain. I'm also going to start stretching my quads an hip flexors to see if that helps. It also doesn't hurt when I walk or run, which I'm sure is a good sign. Any input would be nice.

[Coach Sommer]

You are overworking your hip flexor and seem to have developed a mild case of tendonitis. For at least the next 2-4 weeks, I recommend discontinuing all L-sit work and substituting lever work for your core strength.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[JL]

Sounds about right. At this point, I have rested from L-sit work for at least three weeks, and it is better, but still not fully recovered.

[JL]

A little update. I started working the butterfly stretch and felt some improvement in the area. At the time, it hurt to lean forward while in the stretch, so I didn't push it. Later on I decided to start working towards a straddle split. I made improvements in my range of motion and the pain seemed to lessen even more. Just recently, I started leaning forward into the pain during butterfly stretch, and the day after I noticed almost no pain at all after doing pistols. I am truly amazed! I know the butterfly stretch works the pectineus and adductor longus, but I'm not grasping why the leaning forward has seemed to help the effect on my problem.