The hip joint is the largest joint in the body and pain afflicting this area can be excruciatingly painful. Hip pain might be caused by arthritis, injuries, joint inflammation (bursitis), pinched nerves, osteoporosis, and cancer among other things. The pain makes it difficult to walk, climb stairs, and perform daily activities. Apart from the medications and lifestyle changes, you can also do some effective exercises for hip pain. It's crucial that you perform these exercises under doctor's guidance. Let's look at the best exercises and stretches to reduce hip pain.
Effective Exercises and Stretches for Hip Pain Relief
1. Hip bridges
It's a great hip stretch exercise as it involves all the main hip muscles: glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and flexors.
How to do it?
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Lie on your back with legs folded.
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Make sure that your feet are placed firmly on the floor hip-width apart.
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Both arms should be placed firmly on the mat with palms down.
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Try to slowly raise the rear by putting the weight on both ankles. Ensure that your knees, back, and shoulders are in a straight line.
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Hold the position for 3 seconds and slowly lower the rear back to the ground.
Frequency: you can start by doing it 10 times and increase it to 5 sets of 20 repetitions each.
2. Lying lateral leg raises
This particular exercise strengthens the IT band (Iliotibial). The exercise also works on the glutes, hamstrings, obliques, and quadriceps.
How to do it?
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Lie down on a yoga mat on the pain-free side (right or left). Support the neck with your arm on the side of the floor.
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Raise your leg upwards parallel to the floor. Keep the leg up in the air for 2 to 3 seconds and bring it down gently.
Frequency: you start by doing it 10 times a day.
3. Lying leg circles
It's a great exercise to enhance hip joint motion and flexibility. The exercise focuses on the hip flexors and glutes.
How to do it?
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Lie on your back on a yoga mat with your legs extended on the mat.
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Lift your right leg up 3 inches above the ground and start moving it in a clockwise direction. Make small circles while keeping the leg straight.
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Slowly bring down the right leg and repeat the same step with the left leg.
Frequency: you can do it 10 times for each leg and make 3 to 5 circles each time.
4. Lying knee bend
The lying knee bend helps to reduce knee joint pain while working on the hip flexors alongside internal and external obliques.
How to do it?
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Lie on your back on a yoga mat with your legs extended. Slowly fold the right leg by sliding your feet on the floor as far as comfortable.
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Repeat the same step with your left leg.
Frequency: you can do 10 repetitions per leg.
5. Side leg raise
Side leg raises work on the internal and external hip flexors, obliques, and abdominal muscles.
How to do it?
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For this exercise, take the support of a chair. Stand tall and place the right hand on the chair for support.
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Slowly lift your left leg outwards as far as comfortable and place the left hand on your waist. Return to the standing position.
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Change sides and repeat the same movements.
Frequency: you can start by doing 10 repetitions on each side.
Things to pay attention to:
It's crucial to perform the exercise in the right manner by maintaining the correct posture. Land softly and prevent overstretching the muscles. Seek guidance whenever necessary.
Additional Tips to Relieve Hip Pain
- Ice or heat compress
You can choose a heat or ice compress depending on the problem. An ice compress is used to reduce the sharp hip pain and inflammation. People apply a hot compress to relax muscles and stiff joints.
- Avoid intense activities
Refrain from performing any tense activities, such as running, jumping, as it might put more stress on the affected joints. A high impact on the affected joint may lead to inflammation and severe pain. Walk instead of running and do low impact exercises. You can also choose to work out in the swimming pool as it puts less stress on the affected joints.
- Change your lifestyle
Adopting the right lifestyle can be extremely beneficial for relieving hip pain. Start your day with hip pain exercise, consider losing weight, and wear the right kind of shoes.
Take Home Message
Exercises for hip pain and lifestyle changes allow you to heal the hip joint from inflammation and stiffness. However, it's very important that you get the correct diagnosis, comply with the medication, and take proper guidance to learn the exercises. If you do all these steps, your hip pain will inevitably recede.