Hip and Knee Pain: Causes, Connection, and Tips from Physical Therapists for Relief

Your hips and knees have more in common than you may realize. Both are weight-bearing joints that handle demanding tasks daily — from walking and climbing stairs to helping you sit and stand with ease.

When both joints ache, it’s not just uncomfortable — it can be downright frustrating, making everyday activities and even your favorite exercises feel like a challenge. Thankfully, most hip and knee pain is caused by muscle-related issues, says Alec Martinez, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Hinge Health. This means it often responds well to simple at-home strategies like gentle strengthening and stretching exercises.

Keep reading to discover how your hips and knees are connected — and how you can find relief from hip and knee pain with tips from Hinge Health physical therapists.

Why Are Hip and Knee Pain Interconnected?

Hip and knee pain often go hand in hand because these joints work together as part of the same kinetic chain, meaning they rely on each other for smooth and coordinated movement. Weakness, stiffness, or dysfunction in your hip can affect how your knee moves and bears weight, leading to pain or strain. Similarly, knee issues can alter the mechanics of your hip, creating a cycle of discomfort. 

Additionally, the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support these joints, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, and iliotibial band, overlap and influence both areas. Because of this interconnectedness, treating or addressing one joint often helps improve pain and function in the other.

What Causes Hip and Knee Pain?

Here’s a closer look at what can cause hip and knee pain to occur together.

• Hamstring strain. The hamstrings, located at the back of your thighs, span both your knee and hip, helping to bend your knee and extend your hip. When strained or torn, the resulting pain and tightness can disrupt the normal function of both joints, leading to discomfort and weakness in the surrounding areas.

• Hip flexor strain. Hip flexors, located at the front of your hip, help lift your legs and knees. Sudden movements like sprinting, kicking, or quick direction changes can strain or tear these muscles. You’ll feel it most where your thigh meets your hip, says Dr. Martinez, but you may also experience knee pain.

• Adductor strain. The adductor muscles run from your pelvic bone to your inner thigh, allowing your legs to move inward. When strained, they can cause groin pain that radiates to your hip and knee, especially when sitting or crossing your legs.

• IT band syndrome. The iliotibial (IT) band, a fibrous tissue running from your hip to just below your knee, provides stability for your knee joint. Overuse can cause inflammation, leading to pain in both your hip and knee, particularly during activities like walking, running, or cycling, says Dr. Martinez. 

• Hip weakness. Weakness in your hip muscles can contribute to discomfort in both your hip and knee. “When hip muscles are weak, they can cause leg instability, which may put extra strain on the knee joint,” Dr. Martinez explains.

The above exercises are recommended by Hinge Health physical therapists to help treat and prevent hip and knee pain. These moves target key muscle groups like your quadriceps, hamstrings, and hip flexors, helping to improve flexibility, reduce stiffness, and promote healthy movement patterns. Over time, these benefits may help ease existing pain and lower the risk of future discomfort, making it easier to stay active and maintain overall musculoskeletal (MSK) health.

The information contained in these videos is intended to be used for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or treatment for any specific condition. Hinge Health is not your healthcare provider and is not responsible for any injury sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these exercises. Please consult with your healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your medical condition or treatment.

How to Relieve Hip and Knee Pain: 5 Treatments

The following tips from our Hinge Health physical therapists can provide relief for mild to moderate hip and knee pain.

• Physical therapy. This is often a first-line treatment for both hip and knee pain. Research shows it’s just as effective as taking medications. Your physical therapist can show you exercises to strengthen and stretch your hips and knees to help relieve and prevent future pain. They can also assess your movements (including your running or cycling technique) to figure out ways for you to continue to do those activities without discomfort. You can see a physical therapist in person or use a program like Hinge Health to access a PT via telehealth/video visit. 

• Activity modifications. Movement is medicine for hip and knee pain. You want to avoid complete rest, but you also want to avoid activities that cause an unacceptable increase in your pain. Gentle, low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, or cycling can help improve joint mobility and strengthen supporting muscles without overloading your knees or hips. The key is to find a balance — Hinge Health physical therapists call it your movement sweet spot — that keeps you active while allowing your body to heal and recover. 

• Ice and heat. There’s no set rule on which one you should use: You should apply whichever makes your pain feel better, advises Dr. Martinez. You can also alternate using an ice pack and heating pad for 20 minutes at a time as needed to reduce swelling and inflammation (ice) and increase blood flow to reduce stiffness (heat). 

• Over-the-counter (OTC) medication. Pain relievers, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), and acetaminophen (Tylenol), can be helpful for hip and knee pain. It’s important to make sure that you are safely able to take these medications, based on your medical history.

• Gentle self-massage. “I am a huge fan of taking a lacrosse or tennis ball and applying rolling pressure over any region that causes pain,” advises Dr. Martinez. This technique helps release muscle tension, improve blood flow, and reduce soreness in the affected area. It can be particularly effective for tight muscles around your hips and knees, providing quick, targeted relief.  

How to Prevent Hip and Knee Pain

While it’s not always possible to prevent every issue with your hips and knees, there are proactive steps you can take to support their long-term health and function. Here’s what Hinge Health physical therapists recommend to help keep your joints strong, mobile, and pain-free.

• Do exercise therapy. Targeted movements, exercises, and stretches increase the strength and flexibility of the structures in and around your knees and hips. (See the exercises above, to get started).

• Move often. As Hinge Health physical therapists say, movement is medicine. It’s important to move your hips and knees through a wide range of motion. “The stronger the muscles around these joints are, the more resilient they become and the less vulnerable they are to injury,” says Dr. Martinez.

• Switch it up. If you’re a runner, for example, vary your surfaces. If you normally run on asphalt, switch it up to a track or treadmill on occasion. If you cycle a lot and begin to develop hip and knee pain, mix in some cross training like swimming or rowing. This challenges different muscles and cardiovascular endurance while giving your joints a break. 

• Check your shoes. Your running shoes should fit you well and have adequate cushioning. Hinge Health clinicians also suggest changing shoes every 350 to 500 miles since this is when running shoes tend to lose their cushioning and cause your joints to undergo additional stress 

• Maintain a healthy body weight for you. The ideal weight is different for everyone but maintaining a body weight that works for you can help reduce extra pressure on your body. 

PT Tip: Do Some Balance Training 

Improving your balance can help relieve hip and knee pain by strengthening the stabilizing muscles that keep these joints aligned and supported during movement. “Hip and knee pain is tied to hip stability,” explains Dr. Martinez. “Your hip stabilizers are designed to keep your hips from dropping out from under you. When they’re weak, it can lead to all sorts of hip and knee problems.” By enhancing hip stability, balance exercises reduce strain on your joints and prevent uneven weight distribution, which often contributes to pain. This improved stability allows your hips and knees to move more efficiently, reducing discomfort and supporting better overall function. 

How Hinge Health Can Help You

If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program. 

The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app when and where it works for you. 

Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you. 

See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.

This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.

References 

1. Kiel, J., & Kaiser, K. (2023, June 12). Adductor Strain. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493166

2. Hadeed, A., & Tapscott, D. C. (2022). Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31194342/

3. Skou, S. T., & Roos, E. M. (2019). Physical therapy for patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis: supervised, active treatment is current best practice. Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology, 120(5), 112-117. 

4. Hong, M., Krauss, J., Wang, G., Cohen, K., Chaisson, C. E., & Gulati, A. (2024). Effectiveness of Hybrid Form Impulse Therapy (HFIT) Compared to Traditional Transcutaneous Electronic Nerve Stimulation (TENS) in Patients with Chronic Low Back and Knee Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Pain Research, 17, 2417–2430. doi:10.2147/JPR.S461343