Your hip pain can have a number of causes, including tensor fasciae latae (TFL) pain. Despite the long and fancy-sounding name, TFL pain is quite common and can happen due to too much exercise or not enough!
However, hip pain isn’t necessarily TFL pain, and determining the root cause of your discomfort isn’t always simple. Here’s everything you need to know about the cause of TFL pain and how a chiropractor can help.
What Is the Tensor Fasciae Latae?
The tensor fasciae latae is a small muscle of the outer thigh at the top of your hip. It’s part of the anterior superior iliac spine (part of your pelvis) and the iliotibial (IT) band (which attaches to the tibia at the lateral condyle). The TFL works with the gluteal muscles to stabilize your pelvis and help you move your knee and hip when you walk, stand, or run. Interestingly, while you use your TFL muscle the most when you’re walking, it’s also used when you’re riding a horse, jumping hurdles, and water skiing.
What Causes Tensor Fasciae Latae Pain?
There are two common causes of TFL pain. The first is when you overuse the TFL muscle, say when you’re training for a marathon. The second is when the tensor fascia lata muscle tries to compensate for muscle weakness in other parts of your hips, thigh, or knees.
You’re most likely to have TFL pain when you frequently:
- Bike ride
- Swim
- Kayak
- Walk
- Run
- Sit for long periods of time
- Kick
- Slouch
- Wear high heels
- Sleep in the fetal position
- Sit with crossed legs (like when you meditate)
What Does Tensor Fasciae Latae Pain Feel Like?
Most people experience TFL pain in the hip. Your hip joint may feel stiff or sore when you perform a hip flexion (bring your upper leg toward your body, like when you walk, run, or squat). It’s also possible to feel a lingering ache at the outside of the hip joint or hip pain when you sleep on your side.
While hip pain is the most common symptom, TFL pain can also feel like pain in the lower back, knee, or ankle.
Is Tensor Fasciae Latae Pain the Same as IT Band Syndrome?
Tensor fasciae latae pain and IT band syndrome are similar but not quite the same. Because the causes of and pain you may experience are comparable, you may have difficulty identifying which condition you have.
Your tensor fasciae lactate attaches to your IT band, which is a thick band of connective tissue on your thigh muscle that runs from the outside of your leg to your knee. Part of the TFL’s job is to tense the IT band and support your knee whenever it’s straight, helping you maintain balance when you’re upright.
When you injure the IT band, you’ll feel pain on the outside of the knee. While it’s possible to experience TFL pain in the knee, it’s far more likely to have pain in the hip joint or hip muscles.
That said, because the same activities can injure the tensor fasciae latae muscles and IT band, it’s possible to have both conditions. And if you have only one type of pain but not the other, say in the hip joint but not the knee, you may not realize exactly what’s happening until you visit a doctor.
What Else Could Cause My Hip Pain?
While sports injuries are a common cause of hip pain, common activities, like walking or prolonged sitting, can also cause problems. But your pain may not be an injured or stressed TFL. It could be another condition.
Trochanteric Bursitis
All your joints contain bursae, a small, fluid-filled sac that cushions the space around your bones and tissues. Bursitis is when one of the bursae swells, creating joint pain. Trochanteric bursitis is a specific type of bursitis that occurs near the edge of your outer hip, causing pain in your hip joint.
Sacroiliitis
Your sacroiliac joints are where your lower spine and pelvis meet. Sacroilitis is when you experience pain in one or both of the sacroiliac joints. You’re more likely to experience pain in the gluteus maximus and lower back than your hip joint, but the pain can also impact your legs, groin, and feet.
L4 Neuropathy
Your spinal column has a number of individual vertebrae. Each vertebra helps you move, twist, and bend. However, not all vertebrae are the same. Some are larger than others or shaped differently depending on where they are. Because of these differences, your spine is divided into different sections, and each vertebra is numbered to help identify it.
The L4 vertebra is the fourth vertebra (counting from top to bottom) in the lumbar section of the spine. The vertebrae in this section are the largest to help support your weight and lateral movement (like bending to the side).
Neuropathy is a type of nerve damage, and when you experience it at the L4 vertebrae, you’re likely to feel pain or numbness in your thigh or knee.
Meralgia Parasthetica
Meralgia parasthetica causes tingling, numbness, or a burning sensation in the outer thigh. It happens when the nerve that provides feeling to the skin on the thigh is compressed. Unlike other conditions, it’s more likely caused by lifestyle factors, like wearing tight-fitting clothing or having diabetes, though it’s possible to develop meralgia parasthetica due to an injury.
Long-Term Problems Caused by Tensor Fasciae Latae Pain
For some people, TFL pain is significant and intense, but for others, the pain is more annoying than anything. However, not treating TFL pain can cause long-term problems.
Hip Osteoarthritis
While TFL injury is not a direct cause of hip osteoarthritis, some studies have indicated that people with tensor fasciae latae issues are more likely to develop hip osteoarthritis. It’s possible that repeatedly stressing and straining the TFL and hip muscles causes inflammation in the hip flexors and muscles.
Knock Knees (Knee Valgus)
Your TFL helps rotate your hip and move your thigh around. However, long-term TFL pain or damage may cause tightness or shorten the muscle. When this happens, you may not be able to rotate your knees out and away from your body, causing you to be knock-kneed.
Anterior Pelvic Tilt
Anterior pelvic tilt is when your pelvis tilts forward, making it difficult for you to maintain appropriate posture. You may experience a stomach bulge, weakened abdominal muscles, hip joint pain, or groin pain.
Lateral Pelvic Drop
Lateral pelvic drop is when one side of your pelvis is lower than the other, creating an uneven posture, similar to when you stand on one leg. While it’s normal to experience pelvic drop during certain activities (like running), long-term lateral pelvic drop will stress and strain the muscles that overcompensate for this misaligned posture.
How Chiropractors Treat Tensor Fasciae Latae Pain
If resting the muscle hasn’t helped, you may need to seek chiropractic care to relieve your TFL pain. There are three main ways a chiropractor can help:
- Pelvic and spinal adjustments: chiropractic adjustments to align the spine and pelvis can reduce any overcompensation your other muscles may be doing and relieve any TFL strain or pain.
- Active and manual releases: active release can break down scar tissue to improve flexibility and movement, while manual releases can restore motion and alignment
- Strengthening exercises: TFL pain can be caused by muscle weakness. Strengthening the TFL muscle and surrounding muscles can decrease the odds your TFL pain returns.
Find Relief
Tensor fascia latae pain is common. And while rest may resolve your issues, ignoring lingering pain can lead to long-term problems. Fortunately, chiropractic care and adjustments can address your discomfort and help you find lasting relief.
The caring team of chiropractors at Flourish Chiropractic Spa is trained in active and manual release techniques and can design a treatment plan that’s tailored to your unique needs. Contact us today to schedule an appointment and find relief.
