EXERCISES FOR HIP PAIN
Building strength and increasing flexibility are two ways to reduce hip pain. Strengthening the muscles around the hip helps support the joint and puts less stress on the hip.
And increasing flexibility can reduce pain. When you lose flexibility, an abnormal amount of stress can come across the joint. If you become less flexible, you have pain and move less, which leads to stiffness and more pain. It becomes a negative cycle.
Losing weight is highly commendable because it will help to ease your pain in the short term.
There will be less weight on the diseased hip joint, and it will also help your high blood pressure and angina because being overweight imposes a strain upon the heart and circulation.
The following exercises, done at home and at the gym, are generally safe for everyone.
And increasing flexibility can reduce pain. When you lose flexibility, an abnormal amount of stress can come across the joint. If you become less flexible, you have pain and move less, which leads to stiffness and more pain. It becomes a negative cycle.
Losing weight is highly commendable because it will help to ease your pain in the short term.
There will be less weight on the diseased hip joint, and it will also help your high blood pressure and angina because being overweight imposes a strain upon the heart and circulation.
The following exercises, done at home and at the gym, are generally safe for everyone.
Stretching
You need to put your hip joints through a full range of movement every day. Start with stretching.
- Sit on the floor with your legs out in front of you.
- Separate them out to the sides as far as they will go and hold this position for a few seconds.
- Now begin in a seated position on the floor.
- Bend your knees to the sides, holding the soles of your feet together with your hands.
- Remember to pull up through your back and hold your chin up.
- Now bring your legs together and bend your knees up to your chest, one at time, if it is more comfortable.
- Hug your knees to your chest with your arms and keep them there for a few seconds.
- Now stand up and hold to a chair or table for support.
- Lift one leg and swing it back behind you as far as it will go.
- Repeat with other leg.
- Now stand up and hold to a chair or table for support.
- Lift one leg and swing it front you as far as it will go.
- Repeat with other leg.
Working Out at Home
The following exercises can be done on a daily basis. Start with the first exercise and work up to the other variations. These movements are designed to be relaxing, not strenuous.
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your butt muscles by tightening the cheeks of your buttocks. Hold for five seconds and then release, being sure to breathe while you do it. Work up to 30 repetitions per session.
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten the muscles in your buttocks, then lift your hips off the ground and hold for about five seconds before slowly lowering yourself back down. Be sure to breathe throughout the exercise. As with the first exercise, you can work up to doing 30 repetitions, resting for a few seconds (or longer) between each. If you start to get tired, stop and rest for a couple of minutes.
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your buttocks and lift your hips off the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift one foot a couple of inches off the floor. Then put it down and lift the other foot a couple of inches, all while remembering to breathe. It’s like taking alternate steps. Work up to doing 30 steps at a time.
Wall seats
Stand in front of a wall (about 2 feet in front of it) and lean against it. Slide down until your knees are at about 90-degree angles (or an angle that is comfortable for you) and hold, keeping the abs contracted, for 10-60 seconds. Come back to start and repeat.
Back extension reach
This exercise is more difficult than it looks. Start on all fours. Raise your right leg backward, and raise your left arm up reaching in front of you. Hold for ten seconds. Go back to starting position. Repeat position with left leg and right arm. Do the exercise ten times alternating legs/arms.
This exercise is more difficult than it looks. Start on all fours. Raise your right leg backward, and raise your left arm up reaching in front of you. Hold for ten seconds. Go back to starting position. Repeat position with left leg and right arm. Do the exercise ten times alternating legs/arms.
Hyperextension
Start by lying on your stomach with your hands behind your back. Then raise your chest and feet off the ground. Hold for 5 seconds.
Start by lying on your stomach with your hands behind your back. Then raise your chest and feet off the ground. Hold for 5 seconds.
Working Out at the Gym
When lifting weights, it's important to find out how much weight is appropriate for you.The lightest weight on the machines might be five or 10 pounds. That might be too hard for some people. A good rule of thumb: Always use a weight that's light enough for you to lift comfortably.
That builds endurance in the muscle and lowers your chance of injury.
Because the design of these machines can differ, it’s best to have a trainer at the gym give you the correct instruction. Work up to 30 repetitions of each exercise and complete them every other day to give your muscles a chance to rest between workouts.
- Squats. Using a squat machine will strengthen your quadriceps muscles on the front of your thigh and the hamstring muscles on the back of your thigh, both of which attach to your hip and give it support. The squat machine may be vertical, in which case you’ll start in a standing position and bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or it may be on a sliding incline board.
A word of caution: This exercise is not for somebody who has had hip replacement surgery or who has severe arthritis.
- Quadriceps squeeze. Use the quadriceps machine in which you sit in a chair, place your knee under a pad, and straighten your knee against resistance. Squeeze your quadriceps both when you lift the weight up and when you let it down to get the most out of the exercise.
- Hamstring squeeze. Use the machine that works your hamstrings; you will either lie on your stomach or sit with a pad behind your knee. Push against the pad, moving your knee up toward the ceiling or backward (depending on which position you’re in). In other words, bend your knees. But to avoid cramps in your hamstring muscles, don’t bend your knee so much that your heels are too close to your buttocks.
Working Out With Supervision
When you have help from a physical therapist at a clinic, you’ll have a chance to do exercises beyond what you can do at home or at the gym. The therapist will help move your joint to regain motion until you can do an activity comfortably.
The goal is for you to be able to enjoy exercising. We want it to be a pleasant experience. A big problem is jumping in, doing too much, hurting yourself, and deciding exercise isn’t for you. Everyone can benefit from exercise, and feel good while doing it.
When you have help from a physical therapist at a clinic, you’ll have a chance to do exercises beyond what you can do at home or at the gym. The therapist will help move your joint to regain motion until you can do an activity comfortably.
The goal is for you to be able to enjoy exercising. We want it to be a pleasant experience. A big problem is jumping in, doing too much, hurting yourself, and deciding exercise isn’t for you. Everyone can benefit from exercise, and feel good while doing it.
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