Stiff Hips? These Tips and Exercises From Physical Therapists Can Help

If you’re hip to stiff hips, join the club. Feeling like your hips don’t move as easily as they used to is an all-too-common complaint — one that can make it difficult to do, well, pretty much everything. 

That’s because your hips are essential for movement, notes Nikki Bond, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Hinge Health. “They’re a major intersection point between the upper and lower body and where you bear weight,” she adds. As a result, stiff or tight hips can impact every kind of movement, including walking, sitting, standing, running, jumping, and bending over. Even enjoying your favorite activities — from sports to hide-and-seek with your kids — can become difficult if you’re experiencing hip pain. 

Stiff hips aren’t usually an isolated problem, either. “If you're tight in your hips, it can lead to strain on other parts of the body, affecting your posture, low back, and core,” says Dr. Bond. 

Read on to learn how to loosen stiff hips and improve your hip mobility — especially with exercises recommended by our Hinge Health physical therapists.

What Causes Stiff Hips?

The hip is a very mobile, ball-and-socket joint that has several large muscles that support it and help it move. Any changes to the joint itself or these muscles can lead to hip stiffness. Here are some of the most common causes of changes in your physiology that can result in stiff hips. 

• Sitting for too long. A sedentary lifestyle can tighten your hip flexors, a group of muscles at the top of your thighs and below your hip bones that are key players in moving your lower body. “Your muscles lose elasticity when you hold prolonged postures,” explains Dr. Bond. “If you sit a lot, especially if you sit for work and then also for your recreational activities like biking, you need to make a purposeful effort to stretch your hip flexors to maintain their full range of motion.”

• Weak abdominal muscles. “Many people who work out a lot but don’t have a strong core use their hip flexors to compensate,” says Dr. Bond. Over time, this can put too much strain on your hips, leading to stiffness and pain.

• Arthritis. The hip joint is covered by cartilage that cushions the bones and allows for smooth movement. With hip osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, the cartilage progressively changes over time. This can lead to other changes in the joint, such as bone spurs, which result in an overgrowth of bone. “Collectively, all of this can create friction and change your ability to move,” says Dr. Bond. “The more you sit, the tighter your hip flexors and hamstrings can get. And it can also cause some weakness in the glutes (buttock muscles), which can worsen symptoms.” 

• Bursitis. Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that sit between bones, muscles, and tendons. They act as cushions and aid in smooth joint motion. There are two major bursae in the hip. When one or both become inflamed, it can lead to pain in your hip, outer thigh, or groin. Hip bursitis is often related to repetitive motion that your body isn’t prepared for, or increased pressure being put on your hip. 

• Overuse. Repetitive activities can irritate the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support your hips, causing stiffness and pain. Overusing the same muscles may also create a muscle imbalance that changes the joint movement itself, contributing to arthritis, says Dr. Bond. 

• Hip labral tear. The labrum is a ring of cartilage that helps hold the top of the femur (the “ball” of the hip) within your hip socket. In addition to causing a reduced range of motion, a hip labral tear may cause pain and a sensation of your hip locking up. Typically caused by repetitive movements, overuse, and traumatic injuries, hip labral tears are especially common among people who participate in sports like hockey, soccer, football, golf, and ballet. 

• Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Also called hip impingement syndrome, this often-congenital condition occurs when either the “ball” or the “socket” of your hip are abnormally shaped, causing friction where the two connect. This leads to hip stiffness and pain that is often made worse by bending at the hip or waist, such as when riding a bike, tying shoes, or sitting for long periods of time.

Treatment Options for Stiff Hips

If you’re prone to stiff hips, there are many effective methods to keep pain at bay and stay active.

• Physical therapy. Targeted hip stretches and strengthening exercises, like the ones below, can go a long way in reducing hip stiffness. Take arthritis, for example: “As a physical therapist, I can’t make a bone spur go away. But I can stretch what’s tight and strengthen what’s weak to help create better alignment in the hip joint, which will be very effective for symptom management,” says Dr. Bond. You can see a physical therapist in person or use a program like Hinge Health to access a PT via telehealth/video visit.

• Heat and ice. Each plays a different role in reducing stiffness. Dr. Bond recommends using heat before being active to increase flexibility and mobility. “Ice reduces inflammation and has analgesic effects, so I typically recommend using it after an activity to lessen discomfort,” she says. 

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

• Massage. A professional massage therapist may employ techniques like soft tissue mobilization or trigger point release to decrease muscle tension, but you don’t have to go the professional route to get relief. Self-massage with a foam roller or tennis ball can loosen stiff hips by relaxing muscles, increasing blood flow, and reducing inflammation.

The above exercises are recommended by Hinge Health physical therapists to alleviate stiff hips. As our PTs say, movement is medicine, and moving your hips through a wide range of motion helps stretch and stabilize the surrounding muscles to prevent pain.  

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.

PT Tip: Assume a New Position 

Spending too much time in a seated position can cause hip muscles to tighten and shorten. In order to switch things up, “try to do some recreational activities — like reading, coloring with your kids, or watching TV — lying on your belly instead of sitting,” suggests Dr. Bond. “When you lie on your belly, your body is straight, which stretches your hip flexors and helps counteract a sitting position that can contribute to tight hips,” says Dr. Bond.

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. Chamberlain, R. (2021). Hip Pain in Adults: Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis. American Family Physician, 103(2), 81–89. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2021/0115/p81.html

2. Kim, B., & Yim, J. (2020). Core Stability and Hip Exercises Improve Physical Function and Activity in Patients with Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine, 251(3), 193–206. doi:10.1620/tjem.251.193

3. Teirlinck, C. H., Verhagen, A. P., van Ravesteyn, L. M., Reijneveld-van de Vendel, E. A. E., Runhaar, J., van Middelkoop, M., Ferreira, M. L., & Bierma-Zeinstra, S. MA. (2023). Effect of exercise therapy in patients with hip osteoarthritis: A systematic review and cumulative meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open, 5(1), 100338. doi:10.1016/j.ocarto.2023.100338