Hip Osteoarthritis
Exercises for Hip Osteoarthritis
The health of the hip is maintained through regular relaxed movement and maintaining the strength of the muscles around it. Exercise should form the core part of your treatment.
This video demonstrates mobility exercises for your hip:
Tailored stretching: Hip exercises (for arthritis and joint pain) (youtube.com)
Additionally, some people with osteoarthritis enjoy the feeling of being in water while exercising. There’s no right or wrong way but you may choose to try the following exercises, if you have access to a pool:
Hip hydrotherapy film (youtube.com)
How many should I do and how often?
Aim to do these exercises 1x daily.
You may only be able to manage a few to start with: that’s fine. Make a note of how many you can do and repeat this each day until it starts to feel easier. Gradually increase how many you practice over time (this often takes several weeks).
What if the exercise is painful?
Exercising in pain is acceptable. It’s worth knowing that pain during exercise does not mean you’re harming yourself. If you experience more pain than you can comfortably tolerate or it impacts your ability to carry out the exercises the following day, then you may want to scale the difficulty back next time. If this happens, don’t worry, you can try fewer repetitions and then gradually build it up again. If you are struggling to find a suitable level of exercise then seek professional help for further guidance