Top 5 Hip Stretches for Hip Pain Relief!

Hip Muscle Anatomy

The hip joint is a very stable joint. It is a ball-in-socket joint made up of the long femur bone in the thigh articulating within the socket of the pelvis. It has many strong muscles that cross this joint running in different directions. The hip must be able to produce and absorb large forces that we experience throughout our lives and these large sets of muscles help with these actions.

Sometimes, however, muscle weakness or excessive tightness can increase the stress in the hip joint eventually leading to pain. There are certain “major players” that commonly cause hip pain and injury for many of my patients. Rarely the cause of hip pain is originating from one specific muscle, rather entire muscle groups tend to be the culprit as they have a larger impact on the forces on the joint.

Common trouble makers seen from the front side of the hip are the hip flexors (Iliacus, Psoas, and Rectus Femoris), hip adductors (Adductor Longus and Gracilis), and the IT Band.

Similarly, muscles that can cause issues and are seen from the backside are the hip abductors and extensors (Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius), as well as the hip external rotators (Piriformis, etc. – not pictured).

Common Causes of Hip Pain

The presence of hip muscle tightness, muscle weakness, and joint stiffness are all ripe to eventually cause pain in the hip. Hip tightness is the easiest cause of hip pain that we can address quickly as anyone can begin with a good stretching program daily and notice some immediate effects. Whereas hip strengthening and joint mobilization take more physical exertion and commitment in order to see improvements. 

Overuse conditions such as Hip Bursitis and IT Band Syndrome are also commonly seen causing hip and knee pain. Fundamentally though, these conditions are still caused by muscle weakness and tightness. Physical therapy stretches and strengthening exercises are perfect for helping relieve hip pain related to them.

If you haven’t yet read my article on Understanding Different Types of Hip Pain Symptoms, you’ll definitely want to head over there and check that article out. It goes into much greater depth on differentiating hip pain symptoms and what the most common types of treatment options are available for each condition.

Can Hip Pain Relief Stretches Really Help?

Absolutely, hip pain relief stretches can really help! It is important to mention, though, that performing these hip pain relief stretches as a daily routine is critical. I always explain these two fundamentals with my patients:

1. If you already have hip pain, then perform the hip pain relief stretches twice per day. Once in the morning and then again in the evening. You will notice a faster improvement in the reduction of hip pain faster if you perform them twice per day, every day.
2. If you don’t have hip pain, then perform the hip pain relief stretches once per day to every other day as a preventative maintenance program that will help prevent the onset of hip pain.

I’ve developed the following hip pain relief stretching program to target each of the major muscle groups that most commonly cause hip pain. Enjoy!