If you’re struggling with hip arthritis, you’re not alone. Understanding this condition and incorporating the right exercises into your routine can help alleviate symptoms and improve your movement and daily activities.

This guide provides an overview of hip arthritis and a series of effective exercises that help relieve pain, increase mobility, and build strength.

Some facts about Hip Arthritis

Arthritis is common in adults over 50. Hip arthritis often affects those over 50 but can occur at any age.

Osteoarthritis is the breakdown of cartilage in the joints and can cause cause pain, stiffness, and swelling:

Pain can come and go, with some pain feeling more intense after intense activities,

Arthritis can be partially due to family history, but there is much you can do to manage it.

Exercise can help IMMENSELY to exercises can strengthen and support the muscles around the hip.

Try to get to or stay at a healthy weight because extra body weight can add stress to the hip joint, speeding up cartilage wear.

The Best Exercises for Hip Arthritis

These exercises target the muscles that support your hip joint, focusing on stability, flexibility, and strength to minimize discomfort. Try the first two before adding on.

Exercises For HIp Arthritis

1. Pillow Squeeze

• How: Sit on chair, feet on floor. Place a pillow between your knees and squeeze.

• Benefits: Strengthens inner thigh muscles, providing more stability to the hip joint.

2. Wall Abduction Press

• How: Stand next to a wall and press the outer leg against it. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat on each side.

• Benefits: Strengthens the muscles on the outside of the hip, improving lateral stability.

3. Hip Hinge

• How: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, pivot at the hips, keeping the back straight.

• Benefits: Strengthens glutes and hamstrings.

5. Stand Up Squat

• How: Sit tall in a chair, and rise up with balance and control.

• Benefits: Strengthens entire lower body and improves movement.

Why Strength and Mobility Matter for Hip Arthritis

Exercises that build strength and stability help stabilize the hip joint, which can reduce some of that daily strain. Mobility exercises can also help reduce tightness, making movement less painful and improving flexibility.

When managing hip arthritis, a gentle and consistent approach is key.

The goal is to choose exercises that work WITH you and FOR you. When exercising at home, start with one or two exercises, increasing the number of sets and individual exercises as your body adapts.

Remember, the goal is to build strength and improve flexibility without causing pain. We can use a chair, a wall, and additional props to help us do the exercise in a useful and usable way.

Aim for small daily exercise sessions. This routine encourages blood flow, supports movement, and builds strength around the hip.

Exercise can be a fabulous tool to help with hip arthritis pain. Let’s work together to figure out what exercises work best for YOU.