If you picture a pelvic bone, there are many places you can have pain that might or might not be your hips. So first try to figure out if you actually have hip pain or if it\u2019s stemming from something else. For example, back and hip pain commonly occur together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe central issue is that not all hip pain is clearly from the hip. What Typically you can identify hip pain if a deep flexion hurts, like when you\u2019re doing something more intense, like a goblet squat<\/a>, Ochiai said. You could also just experience general pain when you\u2019re sitting if you happen to flex your hip.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSome people have really deep chairs, where the knees come up to the level of the waist, then say they can\u2019t get through the workday because it\u2019s hard to sit that long,\u201d he explained. \u201cA quick fix is either raise your chair and sit forward on the chair so you don\u2019t hyperflex your hip, or get a pillow or cushion and sit on that to raise your legs up higher.\u201d<\/p>\n Some other signs include \u201cdifficulty standing on the affected leg, difficulty with putting on socks or shoes and difficulty with clipping toenails,\u201d Shah said.<\/p>\n Ochiai also said that there\u2019s a hack, or \u201cquick and dirty way,\u201d to see if you might have a hip issue: \u201cLay on your back and grab the front of your knee with both hands, and pull that knee towards your chest. Then have someone take a picture of how close you got your knee to your chest. Then do it again on the other side. If there\u2019s a marked difference, that\u2019s not just tight muscles.\u201d<\/p>\n Yoga, Pilates, strengthening exercises and anything that improves your abdominal strength can help your hip, Ochiai said. His rehab protocols for post-hip surgery patients involve ab and back exercises.<\/p>\n \u201cHip and back issues go together like peanut butter and jelly, so improving back strength can unload and actually improve your hip pain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Strengthening your glute muscles is also key to improving hip pain. Ochiai recommended performing exercises like hamstring stretches (such as touching your toes) and bodyweight squats<\/a>.<\/p>\n Finally, don\u2019t underestimate the power of stretching.\u00a0Shah said hip flexor stretches<\/a>, along with knee and ankle mobility stretches, can help achieve a full, painless range of motion.<\/p>\n These methods, in combination with visiting a doctor for a more thorough evaluation, will have your hips thanking you.<\/p>\n
we typically think about as hip pain, or pain that is located on the side of the hip, may in fact be coming from the hip, the muscles around the hip or joints next to the hip, including the lower back area and SI [sacroiliac] joint,\u201d\u00a0said Dr. Rahul Shah<\/a>, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon.<\/p>\n