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5 Things That Might Be Making Your Hip Pain Worse

December 10, 2024

You may already know the culprit. Maybe it’s the pickleball. Maybe it’s bursitis. Or heaven help us, your age. But despite knowing what made your hip pain start, you can’t seem to make it stop.

Do yourself a favor: Avoid these five things that could be making your hip pain worse.

1. You sit all day.

Maybe you’re well aware that sitting’s not great for your heart. Or metabolism. Or general sense of agency in the world.

Add “hips” to the list.

“If you’re sitting for long periods of time, the muscles around your hips tighten, which pulls on the surrounding joints,” says Vipul Dua, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Hartford Hospital’s Bone & Joint Institute. “That can make hip pain worse.”

Plus, your joints have a great self-lubricating feature — but it only works when you’re in motion. During inactivity, they stop producing synovial fluid, which ultimately leads to stiffness and pain.

Happily, the solution for all of the above is both simple and quick. Set a timer. Every hour, get up and walk around for a few minutes.

> Related: 6 Ways to Improve Your Posture at Work

2. When you exercise, you forget to stretch.

Bravo on prioritizing exercise. Are you prioritizing stretching, though? Our bodies need to be eased into gear, not go from zero to 60 in five seconds.

“When you jump right into exercise without taking time to warm up your hip joints and muscles, you’re setting yourself up for injury,” says Dr. Dua.

Be sure to stretch both before and after working out.

> Related: 2 Exercises for Hip Pain You Can Do at Home

3. You’ve overlooked the core issue.

There’s a reason we call it “core strength”: The muscles around your midsection are designed to support every movement you make, whether that’s standing in line or sprinting down the soccer field. When your core muscles aren’t up for the job, your hips suffer.

“If your core muscles aren’t strong enough, your hips compensate. Unfortunately, your hips aren’t built for that,” says Dr. Dua.

Try adding core exercises into your weekly routine. For example, try planks, squats and the bird dog exercise.

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4. You keep doing that thing.

Classic joke: The patient says, “Doctor, it hurts when I do this!” The doctor replies, “Well, don’t do that.”

If it makes your hip pain worse when you, say, hit the golf range or wear a certain pair of shoes, put down the club, put on some comfier footwear, and pick up the phone.

“Never push through pain,” says Dr. Dua. “Putting continued pressure on your hip joint can make an existing injury worse, or cause a new one.”

Instead, talk to a doctor or physical therapist for advice on how to proceed safely.

> Related: 4 Common Hip Injuries From Golf

5. You never figured out the cause of your hip pain.

Aha. So you and your doctor didn’t solve the mystery of your hip pain — because you never saw your doctor.

Time to make that appointment.

Hip pain can have many causes, from wear-and-tear issues like arthritis to injuries like a stress fracture. Now and then, it’s actually a back or groin problem. Some of these go away with rest. Some need more serious measures. Only a doctor knows which is which.

“Often, diagnosing the source of hip pain is as simple as a physical exam,” says Dr. Dua. “If we need more information, we can use imaging to see exactly what’s going on.”

Together, you and your doctor will figure out what’s making your hip pain worse — and more importantly, a plan to make it better.