How to Heal Hip Pain without Giving up Running or Hiking
Did you know that 95% of hip pain can improve without having to give up running or hiking? Aaaand that many common hip surgeries can actually be avoided with the right plan?
I’m busting all the myths today.
And since we’re on a roll - here’s one more.
Arthritis doesn’t mean you have to give up running or hiking. In fact, it can actually help your joints stay healthier long-term. Research shows that marathon runners have lower incidences of knee arthritis than non-runners - pretty crazy, right?
Ok, now that we’ve established that you can get back to your workouts to ensure long-term joint health - let’s break down the common causes of hip pain…and how you can improve them!
Hip Mobility/Flexibility
There’s a certain amount of mobility needed during running and walking for your hips to move efficiently and happily.
Here’s a recent Instagram post of mine that breaks it down!
If you have tightness in the front of your hip (hip flexor or psoas), this can limit your range of motion and cause increased strain in your hips and knees! The good news here is that this can improve with the right flexibility program. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post, where there’s a bonus video for you all about hip flexibility!
2. Hip Tendon Irritation
The tendons in your outer/side hip can become irritated and painful, causing tendonitis. This commonly feels like outer hip achiness that’s worse after a workout or when lying on your side.
Research shows that consistent resistance training to these areas can improve your tendon health and allow you to return to your favorite workouts. This works by using a specific amount of resistance training to encourage your tendons to remodel and change!
If you want to learn more about how tendons heal, click here for a Free Guide from yours truly. WARNING: This info is absolutely critical to tendon healing and not NEARLY enough people get this info!
3. The good ole’ fashioned “training error”
Yep, increasing your running or hiking faster than your body was prepped for is a really common cause of hip pain. I know, we all want to be rockstars and just go for it…but here’s what you need to know:
If this is a component of your hip pain, this is 100% solvable, too! Identifying how much activity is beneficial versus detrimental to your recovery is one aspect of my 1:1 work with clients.
This is really important to know because if you’re seeing someone for hip pain and they’re just giving you the traditional, outdated “take 6 weeks off and then try it again…”…if the pain was caused by ramping up activity too quickly, there’s a change 2-3 days off with some workout adjustments is all you need.
So, how do you go about improving these factors?
The first step is identifying exactly what needs to be targeted in your plan.
I’ve been working with clients, athletes and professional sports organizations for 8 years now - and, if anything, I’ve learned there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
I’ve even seen calf weakness be a sign for calf pain! True story. Here’s a snapshot from that client a few weeks after their initial consultation with me.
So, I can’t tell you exactly what’s causing your hip pain (nor should I promise to!) without a 1:1 Consultation with me.
This is why I offer virtual consultations! Click here if you want to learn more.
I can, however, share some ways to improve hip flexibility and strength!
So, as promised….if you want to learn more about How to Improve Hip Flexibility for Running - I have a Free Resource for you Below!
