Something that worries many people when they first experience hip pain is how their activity level will be affected in the future. For people who regularly work out, a lingering fear grows that even a single wrong move could exponentially worsen their situation. As a result, many people simply stop exercising or moving as much as they used to, even if their hip issues go away, thereby degrading their quality of life.
That’s not what the doctors actually recommend, however, and avoiding movement entirely is never the answer in this case. In fact, there are exercises that are almost essential for ensuring you recover well from your hip issue. Keeping this in mind, let us go through some of the things that doctors actually recommend when returning to exercise after a hip issue and what’s best for your situation.
Why is resting not enough to solve hip problems?
When people first develop hip issues, their first reaction is often to rest it out. While this can certainly help with injuries or acute flare-ups like tendonitis, too much inactivity only creates a whole new set of problems. For instance, the muscles that surround our hip joint begin to weaken rather quickly if not used as much – one of the reasons why staying inactive makes the area feel stiffer, and the pain gets worse over time. This is one of the biggest reasons why most doctors encourage you to start moving a little from the get-go. If you can do so, you’ll be able to maintain your mobility and your joints’ strength, both of which will support your long-term recovery from the pain.
That being said, movement during recovery won’t look like a heavy gym session or any of your old workouts right away. You’ll need to start small, focusing only on recovery techniques that will rebuild your stability and restore your mobility over time.
Why you should start with low-impact movement first
Walking is often the first recommendation you’ll hear from your doctor, mainly because it keeps your joints moving without placing any excessive force on them. However, that does not mean that you need to hit 10,000 steps every day – you need to start slow and keep adding a few steps to your routine every day till walking feels natural once more.
If you can manage it, you get asked to start swimming as well. A lot of hip specialists recommend this one because it significantly reduces the weight your hips need to bear, while still working the muscles as much as any other movement technique. There are specific pools for recovery known as hydrotherapy pools that you can check out – they are specifically designed to help reduce stiffness in your joints while also helping you improve your mobility.
Another great exercise is cycling, especially on a stationary bike. This one is great because it improves your hip mobility without the repetitive impact of running. That said, you need to keep the pedalling resistance low when first starting out, as high resistance can put a lot of strain on your joints, worsening things instead.
Whichever exercise you choose, do remember that doctors want consistency, not intensity. So, don’t turn your recovery into a workout challenge; build a manageable routine first.
What is the role of strengthening exercises during hip recovery?
To put it simply: If the joints around your joint are weak, you’ll experience a lot more difficulty recovering from the pain. Ask any hip doctor in London or wherever you’re currently based, and one of the big things they’d want you to focus on is strength training, generally via physiotherapy.
At a glance, you may find yourself somewhat unimpressed by the physiotherapy exercises, especially if you’ve been going to the gym first. But those briƒdges, clamshells, side leg raises, controlled squats, and resistance band exercises are more than enough to rebuild the stability in your hip joint. These exercises are more than enough to get your hips to tolerate movement again. The only thing you should focus on is the quality of your movement. Focus on controlling your body and maintaining the right alignment, as poor movement patterns can easily lead to new hip problems.
How does stretching and weight management help with hip pain?
If you’re currently recovering from hip pain and are on the heavier side, there is a good chance that your doctor may have put great emphasis on managing your weight. While some people dislike hearing this, it’s recommended because excess weight can exponentially increase the load your joints need to bear during movement. For people recovering from or managing conditions like osteoarthritis, this is an absolute must for successful recovery.
Another thing that’s just as important is adding some simple stretches into your recovery routine – these will improve your blood circulation and support all your other exercises. Just don’t stretch too aggressively during recovery, hoping to push out any muscle tightness. This can be just as bad as engaging in high-impact exercises from the get-go.
When should you return to high-impact exercises?
Speaking of running and other high-impact exercises, most doctors would tell you to give it a good amount of time before returning to such exercises. These activities place a load that’s several times your body weight on the hip joint with every single stride. If your muscles aren’t ready or the joint hasn’t yet recovered, this can easily cause the pain to flare up again, potentially costing you months’ worth of progress.
This is part of the reason most rehab programs start with walk-run intervals. Alternating between 1 minute of jogging and 2 minutes of walking, gradually increasing the running time, is your best bet for getting back into running. Once you’re able to run for a good period of time without any soreness or pain, you can also try and engage in other high-impact activities of your choice – so long as you take it slow with them as well.
If you experience severe pain during a workout that suddenly worsens, coupled by an inability to bear weight, locking sensations in the joint, fever, or significant swelling, get to your nearest A&E immediately and contact your hip specialist. In a similar vein, persistent pain that continues for weeks despite conservative treatment should also be checked out properly.
Remember, your hip is one of the most complex joints that you’ve got with a ton of moving parts. If something feels wrong with it, even during recovery, the best thing you can do for yourself is to not self-diagnose and seek help immediately.
Return to your active lifestyle without fear
The common thread tying everything discussed so far is this: If you want to return to an active lifestyle after hip pain, you need to be gentle with yourself. Returning to your workouts by trying to force your body back to how it was will not work here. You need to put faith in your body and, brick by brick, recover from the pain – if you can be patient right now, you’ll be rewarded with a much more long-lasting recovery. So just be consistent and show up every day. Once the foundation is laid again, no exercise will frighten or stress you out.
