Hip pain can be very intrusive. Not only does it impact on your daily activities, it can also cause sleep disruption. Apart from using pain relief, what can you do to help ease your hip pain in a natural way and at no extra financial cost? Believe it or not, exercises can help with hip pain – stretching and strengthening the muscles and keeping the joint active can help relieve pain and help maintain mobility. Having strong muscles can also protect against future injury.
Here are a few exercise suggestions that may help with your hip pain.
Stretch your muscles
Stretching your muscles is good preparation for strengthening exercises. For each movement try sustaining the repetition for around one minute. Some stretching suggestions include:
- Seated Leg Press: Sit on the ground. Bring your heels and soles together and bring towards your body as much as possible. Then push your knees down towards the ground as far as you can. Repeat.
- Lying knee bend: Lie down on the ground with your legs flat. Slowly bring one leg to a bend at the knee, your foot staying flat on the floor. Hold this for a few seconds and then straighten. Repeat.
- Squats: This is a yoga type pose. Stand with your feet apart. Bend your knees and squat down, holding your hands as if in prayer. Hold for a few seconds and then stand up straight again. Repeat.
Strengthen your hip and thigh muscles
Building up your thigh and hip muscles helps stabilise and protect your hip joint.
- Leg Raise: Lie on your side, supporting your head with your hand, elbow on the ground. Lift the top leg into the air and slowly bring it back down to the resting position. Repeat. As you progress, you can add in an exercise band, just above your knees, for increased resistance.
- Lying Lift: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Starting with one leg and then the other, take it in turns to bring a knee up towards your chest, as far as you can. Hold your knee in position for 5 seconds and then slowly return to rest. Repeat.
- Donkey kick: Position yourself on all fours on the ground, supported by your knees and palms. Take turns raising and straightening one leg and then the other, trying to keep your foot at a ninety-degree angle to your leg.
- Chair exercises: Using a chair for support and taking turns on each side, raise your leg to the side and back and then behind you and back.
Low Impact Exercises
Swimming is a great all-round work out, allowing you to strengthen your muscles without putting strain on your joints. Water aerobics is another option that can help. Walking is another great low impact exercise.
These are just some hip pain exercise suggestions that you could consider. However, if they make your symptoms worse or cause a new pain, stop. A visit to your doctor or physiotherapist could furnish you with more exercises that are particularly suitable for your individual requirements.
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