Hip Health

The diagram below shows the bones in your hip. The joint in your hip is one of the only ball and socket joints in the body. The bone in your thigh (femur) ends in a ball. This ball is called the femoral head. Your pelvic bone (pelvis) has a hole or “socket” on each side, which is called the acetabulum. The ball (femoral head) fits into the socket (acetabulum), which creates a joint that allows your leg to move and rotate. 

Typically, half of the ball (femoral head) sits within the socket (acetabulum). This creates a very secure connection. The rim of the socket is lined with a band of cartilage called the labrum, which creates a deeper socket for the ball to fit into. This extra depth of the socket helps keep the bones connected and prevents separation, which is called dislocation. The ball (femoral head) of your femur is covered with articular cartilage, which is the smooth, white tissue that covers the ends of bones where they come together to form joints. Articular cartilage makes it easier to move and prevents friction between the bones.

There are three ligaments in your hip that help keep everything stable.  Ligaments are short bands of tough, flexible connective tissue. Their purpose is to prevent the bones of your leg and pelvis from moving into extreme positions that might cause damage. 

Your hip also contains 23 different muscles. Some of these muscles extend from the lower spine to the knee. Other muscles are shorter and surround only the hip joint. These muscles and the hip joint give support to the upper body and transfer force between the legs and the upper body. Whenever you’re standing, bending, walking, or running, your hip is involved.

It’s important to understand how the bones, joints, ligaments, and muscles around the hip work together. If you’re spending too much time in one position, doing repetitive motions, or not getting enough physical activity, you increase the chances of strain or weakness. Because no part of your body works in isolation, strain or weakness in one area can cause problems and pain in another.

The Lower Back Connection

The spine is made up of individual bones that are stacked on top of each other like bricks. The lower back (lumbar vertebrae and sacrum) are connected to the top of the pelvic bone (ilium).

Your hip joints are located underneath your pelvic bone. They are made of the ball (femoral head) and the socket (acetabulum) as described above. If you spend too much time sitting, the muscles around your hip joint can become tight or stiff. You might also experience pain in your lower back.

The Pelvic Connection

The two pelvic bones (ilium) form a shape similar to a bowl. Your “pelvic floor” is the group of muscles that line the bottom of the pelvic bones.

There are more than ten different muscles surrounding this area that attach very close to the pelvic floor. These muscles contract to help control movement of the pelvis and hips during all activities. Because all of the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles work closely together, a tight or weak muscle in one area can impact other muscles or groups of muscles.

The Core Connection

The core is more than just “abs.” This area of the body consists of the spine, pelvis, hips, abdomen, and the muscles in these areas. They work together to allow your body to move in a coordinated manner. The muscles surrounding these areas must also work together and be balanced.

If you sit all day, the muscles in your core may get weak. This can increase the demand on the muscles in your back to keep you upright. Over time, these back muscles may start to get overworked and become painful. 

The Knee Connection

Although the hip and knee aren’t next to each other in the body, there is a physical connection between them. Some of the muscles around the hip, called the gluteal muscles are attached to the femur, the bone in your thigh. The bottom of your femur forms the top part of your knee joint. The gluteal muscles control the femur, which affects the position of your knee joints. If your gluteal muscles are weak, it can impact the positioning of your knee joints during activity and cause pain.

Stay Active

Maintaining a moderate physical activity routine can have many benefits for your body, including your hips. Moving your legs helps circulate a nutrient-rich fluid inside the hip joints. This fluid helps to keep the cartilage healthy. Building strength in the muscles in and around your hips will help you maintain proper posture and alignment and avoid pain and injury.   

Reach or Maintain a Healthy Weight

If you’re having hip joint pain, don’t assume that age is to blame. Research has shown that losing a pound of weight can lessen the pressure on your hips by six pounds. There are a lot of ways to lose weight through diet and exercise. If walking hurts, consider getting on a bike. If biking hurts, consider swimming. Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight will not only help your hip pain, it will help your overall health and reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Lift Correctly

We’ve all been told not to bend from the back when lifting heavy objects. However, “heavy” is relative to your body and strength level. If you are lifting something heavy, be sure you keep your back fairly straight and use your leg muscles. If you have to lift an item and you’re unsure of its weight, give it a light tug first to see how heavy it is. If you feel like it’s too heavy, never hesitate to ask for help. Asking for help can save you from an injury. 

If you do repetitive lifting on a daily basis, it is generally better to keep your back straight and to bend at the hips and knees when lifting. Also, try to keep the object as close to you as possible—this will reduce strain on your lower back. If you have to turn while holding something heavy, avoid twisting your body. Instead, keep your shoulders lined up with your hips, and move your feet.

Your body adapts to what you do. If you sit a lot and don’t get much activity, the “load” or physical demand on your body is low. Over time, your body will adapt to that low load and physical activity will feel difficult. 

But if you walk a little bit each day, your body will get used to it and walking will become easy. If you start slowly increasing the distance you walk, and add time to recover from those longer walks, your body will adapt and become stronger. This process of building strength slowly over time is called “progressive loading.”

Recovery is an important part of progressive loading. Recovery includes eating healthy food, drinking water, and getting enough good-quality sleep. It’s also important to have “rest” days, where you do low-intensity activities such as a shorter, slower walk, or just stretching. 

The key is to add a little bit to your exercise routine over time, keep including time to recover, and do both these things consistently. Remember, you can get strong and recover from injury with the right approach.

Your body is designed to move. Finding time for exercise can be difficult, but don’t think the only thing that counts is hour-long sessions at the gym. Taking short breaks to move or stretch and doing a few repetitions of an exercise during a break or while brushing your teeth can be a great way to fit physical activity into your day.

Schedule Movement Breaks 

If you sit for long periods of time, set an alarm for every half hour to remind you to get up and take a few steps around the room. If you stand for long periods, set an alarm for every half hour to sit down (if possible) or stretch. The key is to avoid long stretches of time spent in the same position.

Start Anywhere

Below you will find videos of strengthening and stretching exercises for your hips. Choose exercises that you can do without pain and do them in a way that feels right to you. If the movement doesn’t feel good today, don’t do it and try again later. The most important thing is to get started with whatever you’re able to do today. You can always adjust the exercises and/or intensity as you build strength and increase flexibility.

For a strength exercise, consider starting with a set of 5–10 repetitions. You can add more repetitions or more sets as you build strength. For the stretches, only stretch to a point that’s comfortable and doesn’t cause pain. Start with a 20–30 second hold for each type of stretch. 

Walking

Although it might not feel like much, walking is great exercise. If done regularly, walking can help keep the back and hip muscles loose, refresh the mind, and even improve cardiovascular fitness. If you are already taking a daily walk, well done!

Walking For Health

Stairs

If you can, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Stair climbing is perfect for improving muscle strength and increasing your cardiovascular endurance.

Air Squats

Squats are a foundational movement for many of the activities you do every day, from sitting in a chair to picking up items off the floor. Following the proper form when doing any exercise is very important to avoid injury. 

This video demonstrates squats you can do at home.

Standing Hip Abductions

Stationary Lunge

Hip Hinges

This movement can help with squatting and lunging, and can also help if you currently have back pain.

Hip Hinge For Low Back Pain

Exercises for Low Back Mobility

Having good range of motion in your lower back can aid with hip mobility and help reduce hip pain. Below are some exercises that can help with low back mobility and keep your hips feeling great! 

Leg Stretches

Do you find yourself sitting at your desk or in the car for extended periods of time? Try some of these stretches to keep your hips loose.

Core Strength Exercises

Core strength is more than just abdominal strength. It incorporates many of the muscles in the hips and back as well. Below are some suggestions for core strength exercises that can help the hips.

Pelvic Movement Exercises

Pelvic tilts are foundational movements for the pelvis and spine. They can be utilized in many different positions as a way to move the hips and back. Below are two ways you can perform pelvic tilts.

Pelvic Control Exercises

The muscles of the pelvic floor and around the pelvis are very important for hip health. Below are two pelvic floor muscle exercises to include in your routine.

Leg Strength Exercises

Your hips will benefit from strengthening the muscles in your legs. These muscles aid the knee and help you move correctly.

Your Crossover care team is here to help. We have coaches who can make a plan so you know where to start. Our mental health team can talk you through your stress and anxiety. Your physical therapy team can help you recover from injury with safe movement. Or you can start with a physical for a full picture of your overall health. Wherever and whenever you’re ready to begin, just start a Conversation with your Crossover care team. We want you to be well.