It’s pretty common to experience hip pain without knowing exactly what’s causing it. Long periods of sitting, day-to-day stress, and even unresolved emotions can cause the hip muscles to tighten and contract, leading to discomfort and pain.
Fortunately, the whole field of physical therapy is dedicated to classifying and treating these types of aches and pains through natural movements and exercise techniques. If you’re struggling to pinpoint what exactly caused your hip pain, our physical therapists can help.
Causes of hip pain out of nowhere
A lot of hip pain is the result of an injury or a specific joint or muscle condition, but not all cases. In some situations, emotional distress or chronic stress can cause pain in different parts of the musculoskeletal system.
Exercising your hip muscles and stretching out the tendons and ligaments that hold your hip joints together is important for all-around wellness. If you’re feeling pain in your lower back and hips, some gentle movement and a little rest may go a long way to provide relief.
How can exercise help with hip pain?
Because most generalized hip pain either stems from tension or is worsened by it, loosening up your hip joints can produce great results rather quickly. That’s why stretches that open your hip joints and release tension in your lower back are effective for quick relief.
Other exercises that get blood flowing through your hip area and strengthen the muscles surrounding your hips can also help reduce pain. Strengthening exercises like hip abductions and clamshells take some pressure off specific hip joints by increasing muscle support around the joint.
While some of these exercises can be pretty effective for short-term relief, doing them regularly to build strength and release tension will help prevent your pain from coming back.
8 exercises you can try to alleviate hip pain
If you’ve been overworking your hips by performing repetitive movements at work or in a sport like downhill skiing, some rest and short walks to get different muscles working may be the best solution.
Sitting in one position for too long can also make your hip pain worse. If you work at a desk, set a reminder to stand up every hour and stretch your legs out or take a lap around the office. Try to get outside for a 15-minute walk at least once a day to encourage circulation and provide some relief to the muscles that hold you upright in your chair.
Other exercises that our physical therapists might recommend for people struggling with hip pain that’s hard to pinpoint include:
- Hip flexor stretches — Put one knee on the floor and extend the other leg in front of you, with both knees forming a 90-degree angle. Then, tilt your hips forward, maintaining a straight back, to start feeling a stretch in your hip area. Do this for 30 seconds and alternate legs as needed.
- Hip bridges — Lie on your back with your knees bent toward the ceiling, your feet hip width apart and your arms at your sides. Squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the floor for a few seconds, creating a straight line between your knees and shoulders. Hold the bridge for a few breaths and gently ease yourself back down.
- Double hip rotations — Lie flat on your back with your knees up and feet flat on the floor. Now gently rotate your knees to the left, lowering them toward the floor, as you turn your head to the right. Keep both shoulders against the floor with your chest facing up. Hold this pose for 30 seconds; then return to the starting position and twist to the other side.
- Yoga stretches — A physical therapist can work with you on quick stretches that ease stiffness and pain in your hips to include in your daily routine. Some common yoga poses that release hip tension are low lunges, twists, warrior poses, pigeon pose, and bridge pose.
- Squats — Squats will strengthen your glutes, quads, and hamstrings to create more support for your hip joints. From standing, extend your arms straight in front of you and bend your knees generously so you’re keeping your head lifted and you’re bending at the hip joint. Keep your spine straight and engage your stomach muscles. Dip as low as you can, and aim for slow, controlled movements. Do squats over a chair for more stability if needed.
- Low lunges — Start with your feet shoulder width apart and take a big step forward, bending your knees until you feel your muscles working. Hold for a few seconds and step back; then do the other side.
- Hip abduction — Stand straight with your feet together and position a chair or a rail to one side for stability. On the opposite side, keep your leg straight while lifting it out and to the side. Keep your hips facing forward and hold the pose for a few seconds before returning your foot to the starting position. Again, use slow and controlled movements.
- Clamshell — Lie on one side, and if only one hip is bothering you, lie on the opposite side. Bend your knees slightly and rotate the top knee toward the ceiling while keeping your feet together. Hold for up to 10 seconds before releasing. You may start with more reps on the unaffected side and even them out as your hips become stronger.
Physical therapy practices for hip pain
At-home care may be enough to treat hip pain that has come out of nowhere, but for the best results for persistent pain, it’s a good idea to see a medical professional like a physical therapist.
A physical therapist can perform an in-depth assessment and put together a treatment regimen that’s tailored to your needs. The main benefits of seeing a physical therapist, who may recommend some of the same exercises mentioned here, is that they can teach you safe and effective forms of exercise for hip pain relief without straining your muscles.
There are also some passive physical therapy techniques that can help increase your flexibility and range of motion. In these cases, your PT will do most of the work to guide you into the right position. They might pull you into a deep stretch or push against you to add some resistance.
See a physical therapist at Armor PT for hip pain
If you’ve been dealing with hip pain for more than a week, you deserve the attention of a professional to help rule out chronic underlying conditions. The physical therapists at Armor are happy to meet new people and help them find relief that allows them to get back to their normal routine.
It’s easy to make an appointment at Armor; you don’t need a referral or prior healthcare visit to get started. Just call us or request an appointment online today and let’s see if physical therapy can help relieve your hip pain.
