I have been seeing more people do hip band mobilizations for anterior hip mobility recently. I’m not sure if it’s just another trending mobility exercise or if people are having more anterior hip issues that they feel they need to stretch more. Like most things, I think there is an appropriate time and place for this mobility drill, but not one that I use much, especially for hockey players. Here’s why.
Although hockey players may have “tight hip flexors”, it may be a guarding mechanism for a deeper hip issue, either coming from the joint, labrum or capsule (see my blog post on this here). This mobility exercise can actually further irritate these structures, instead of loosening up the hip.
If we take a deeper look at this, we can see that the hip flexor muscles (psoas major and iliacus) run directly in front of the anterior hip ligaments and labrum. 
We know from previous research (here, here, here) that hockey players often have hip labrum pathology and hip joint pathology which can lead to pain and tightness in the front of the hip. One of the reasons they may feel tightness in the front of the hip is a guarding response the body has to the irritated static structures. Although most people think they are stretching the muscles in the front of the hip with this mobility drill, they are actually pulling the head of the femur forward in the hip joint which can bump up against the labrum and put stress on the hip capsule, and might actually be causing more irritation to these structures. This then turns in to a vicious cycle of tightness in the anterior hip, band mobility drill, feeling some stretching, but still feel tight afterwards.
So even though you are feeling a stretch with this exercise, it is likely that the feeling of stretch is from the ligaments/capsule and not from the muscle.
Hey Matt,
Love your content. What do you think would be a better alternative instead of the exercise above? I know that this question could probably have multiple answers, but what are the big rocks you lock for with someone who complains of hip flexor tightness and pain? Thanks!
Hey Juan! Great question! If someone complains of hip flexor tightness, first thing I want to know is if it is in fact tight usually with a Thomas test and at the same time I’d also check for mechanical symptoms like clicking which could indicate some labrum issues. If they also have pain, I would do the tests I’ve outlined in this article (http://www.be-elite.ca/chronic-hip-flexor-problems-in-hockey-players-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg/). Pain or apprehension with these tests would tell me that they have irritable or lax static structures of the anterior hip and that the tightness they’re feeling is likely protective guarding and not muscle shortness. Rather then doing the band stretch or a hip hyperextension stretch where we would be just adding stress on the anterior hip labrum and capsule/ligaments and increasing the muscle guarding, I would likely give them something like a true hip flexor stretch cueing good spine position and then follow up with glute and deep rotator strength and stability work. Hope this helps!