Do you get hip pain when performing Sumo Deadlifts? Hip pain from deadlifting is common, though we hear more about low back pain while deadlifting. Similarly, some athletes will simultaneously experience hip pain after squats and deadlifts.
For the brevity of this post, we won’t delve too deep into why pain occurs, but we will provide options for athletes who are experiencing hip pain when performing sumo deadlifts.
One factor that can contribute to hip pain when performing sumo deadlifts is soft tissue quality. Poor soft tissue quality in the areas of can be a contributing factor to hip pain due to the mobility demands of a sumo deadlift.
Rectus Femoris
Adductors
Hip Internal/External Rotators
Hip abduction and external rotation mobility are needed more than a conventional or trap bar deadlift when performing a sumo deadlift.
Before hammering away on self-myofascial release, check to see if you have sufficient mobility before thinking you need more.
A couple of quick tests include:
Normal:
Thigh reaches the table.
Knee flexed at 90 Degrees.
Knee in line with the hip.
Not Normal:
Thigh doesn’t reach the table.
Knee doesn’t comfortably flex to 90 degrees.
Knee not in line with the hip.
Normal:
Heel to Opposite Mid Shin
Ways to improve soft tissue quality in those areas can include:
Another area that can sometimes go unnoticed is Rectus Femoris aka the Quads. Now, you may ask why the quads could contribute to hip pain with sumo deadlifts. Athletes who present with an anterior pelvic tilt or increased tone/tightness in their quads have a propensity to hang out in that anterior tilted position and in turn, potentially decrease mobility at the hip.
Improving soft tissue tone/quality in the quads can help to improve hip mobility and decrease the stress and strain on the hip when getting into the sumo deadlift position.
Also, working on hip mobility drills can help your deadlifts. Drills include:
1/2 kneeling hip flexor and couch stretches
1/2 Kneeling Hip Flexor Mobilization
1/2 Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch with Anterior Core Activation
Quadruped Adductor Rockbacks
Seated Hip ER/IR Mobilization
How you start is how you can finish. This may not be true for everything in life or lifting, but the starting position in the sumo deadlift can reduce hip pain, and is a key piece of how the lift is performed.
If you are starting in a position such as this:
where the athlete or client has an increased extension or arch of their lower back, this can potentially be a contributor to hip pain with sumo deadlifts.
This starting position can place the athlete or client into an anterior pelvic tilt.
Photo credit: https://dailyhealthpost.com/anterior-pelvic-tilt/
By starting off in this position of anterior pelvic tilt, this can decrease the amount of space at the hip joint due to the orientation of the pelvis on the femur.
This does not mean that every single person who presents with an anterior pelvic tilt will have hip pain with sumo deadlifts. But, if you do, try setting up in a more neutral position to maximize the space at your hip joint as shown below.
When an athlete is attempting to finish a sumo deadlift, oftentimes they will “lean back”.
This idea of leaning back can be something learned over time, can be due to “tightness” in certain areas, etc. There are various reasons why an athlete may “lean back”, but, by leaning back, this piggy backs on the point from before about an anterior pelvic tilt.
If you lean back, you are going into lumbar extension/hyperextension and creating that anterior pelvic tilt mentioned previously. By doing this, it can decrease the amount of space at the hip and in some athletes, be a contributor to hip pain during deadlifts, but at the end of the movement.
Instead of thinking of “leaning back”, think “stand tall” when coming to the end of the deadlift.
By standing tall, you are using your glutes to extend your hips, not your low back, to finish the lift. Also, by standing tall, you are maintaining a better position from your spine through your hips and maximizing the space at the hip joint.
If you are dealing with hip pain with sumo deadlifts, make sure to:
Work on your soft tissue quality
Check your starting and finishing positions.
If you’re still experiencing hip pain or low back pain after trying these exercises, it might be time to see a physical therapist. Our staff at Move Strong Physical Therapy are eager to get you feeling your best again, and will help work you through every injury and pain point on your road to full athletic recovery.