Hip bursitis is an irritating condition that can range from slightly bothersome to very painful. If you feel pain in your hip when you are lying in bed at night, or immediately when you stand up after sitting for a while, you might have hip bursitis.
Let’s explore this condition and look at the best exercises to treat hip bursitis so you can start feeling better soon.
What Is Hip Bursitis?
Bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa sac. A bursa sac is a small, gel-like pillow that sits between your bones and their connective tissues, acting as sort of shock absorber. You have bursa sacs in your hips, shoulders, elbows, knees and heels.
The bursa can become injured through a fall or strained by repetitive use. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, two major bursae in the hip can become injured or inflamed. The more common condition of the two, Trochanteric Bursitis, is inflammation to the bursa covering the greater trochanter, which sits at the bony point of the hip bone. The other bursa located on the inside of the hip near the groin is called the iliopsoas bursa. When this area becomes inflamed or injured it is often called “hip bursitis.” Both are treated in a similar way.
The symptoms of hip bursitis vary from person to person, but the most common are:
- Hip pain that is sharp at first and then becomes aching over time
- Hip tenderness which seems more generalized in the entire hip area
- Pain that gets worse after prolonged or repetitive activity
- Leg pain that extends from the hip down the side or back of the leg
- Pain or discomfort when climbing stairs, running or cycling.
Important note: if you have warmth and redness in the area along with fever or illness, you could have septic bursitis which comes from infection. Be sure to see your doctor!
What Causes Hip Bursitis?
There are a number of things that can cause hip bursitis, from a direct fall on your hip to running too many miles. Let’s take a look at some of those things that put you at risk.
- Hip Injury: A traumatic injury or fall on the hip can cause hip bursitis.
- Repetitive Motion: You are at risk for hip bursitis if you do too much running, standing, bicycling or stair climbing.
- Leg-Length Inequality: Believe it or not, a surprising number of people have one leg that is slightly shorter than another (1.5 cm or more). This can affect your gait, causing issues similar to the repetitive use problem resulting in bursitis.
- Arthritis: Hip bursitis can come from arthritis. The same inflammation that comes with arthritis can extend into the hip bursa.
- Spine Diseases: Conditions like scoliosis can cause problems with the movement pattern of your hip and play a role in hip bursitis.
- Prior Surgery: Like spine diseases, prior surgeries such as implants or hip replacements can throw off your gait and movement patterns creating inflammation.
Related: How To Treat Hip Pain
Best Exercises For Hip Bursitis
It is always important to see a doctor in order to diagnose any condition and know the details needed to help fix your particular problem. However, specific hip exercises can help strengthen the muscles surrounding the hip, and stretches can open up tight and painful areas of the hip. Many of these moves require no equipment, while a few of them require a resistance band to do the trick.
Here are nine exercises you can do at home to help treat your hip bursitis:
1. Glute Bridge
Equipment: None
Repetitions: 10-12. Hold for 3 seconds at the top, lower slowly.
This move engages your glutes, hamstrings, quads and hip flexors – the muscles that support the hips. In addition, you’ll stretch and open the hips flexors and front of the body overall.
2. Fire Hydrant
Equipment: None
Repetitions: 10-12 per side
The fire hydrant might look weird, but it’s an important exercise for tackling the piriformis muscle and strengthening the hip join as a whole. Unweighted, this exercise can be done by anyone and is great for increasing your range of motion.
3. Resistance Band Butt Blaster
Equipment: Resistance Band
Repetitions 10-12 per leg
Many of the moves that tackle our glutes can also put excessive stress on the hip flexors. This gives you an opportunity to isolate the glutes alone. (Be sure you don’t pull the knee in too far after pressing back; knee under hip bone is the start and end position.)
4. Resistance Band Outer Thigh Press
Equipment: Resistance Band
Repetitions: 16-20 total: 8-10 per side, alternating.
You abductors (outer thighs) need work in order to balance out the strength of the entire hip area. This move will take care of that and build strength in the core as well.
5. Forearm Side Plank
Equipment: None
Repetitions: Hold for 30 seconds each side
Isometric strength moves are extremely important for building strength and stability. The forearm side plank strengthens the outside of the hip and obliques.
6. Sleeping Pigeon Pose
Equipment: None
Repetitions: Hold for 30 seconds on each side
This stretch opens up outside of your hip, especially the piriformis
7. Seated Straddle Splits
Equipment: None
Repetitions: Hold 30-60 seconds
Open up your inner thighs with the amazing stretch.
8. Yogi Squat Pose
Equipment: None
Repetitions: Hold 30-60 seconds
This is a great pose to also add to the end of any workout. It will feel so good and your hips will thank you!
9. Inner Thigh Squeeze
Equipment: small pilates ball, volleyball or rolled up towel
Repetitions: 20
Lying on your back with your feet in the air and knees bent, pull your low abs in so your lower back is gently pressing into the floor. Now squeeze the ball or towel tightly between your knees as you pull your belly in at the same time. This move strengthens the adductors (inner thighs) which are typically weak and adding to dysfunctional hip movement.
Note: If this bothers your hip flexors, it can be done with feet on the floor and knees bent.
Final Step: Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate (RICE)
You’ve probably been told to do this for an ankle sprain or a bruise on your shin. Bursitis is the same, although compression may not be possible and elevating might also be difficult. It is very important to rest the injured area until you don’t have pain. In other words, if running too many miles is the cause of your issue, continuing to run will only aggravate your condition.
In addition, ice the affected area a few times a day to help relieve inflammation and take anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen or naproxen. In addition, once you return to activity you may need to modify what you were doing. For instance, run on a flat, even surface for a while.
Above all, if you have hip pain that is persistent or unbearable, please see your doctor. Treating hip bursitis with the proper stretches is great, but you should always get a medical opinion if pain of any kind doesn’t go away.
11 Comments
Annette on April 3, 2020 at 12:03 AM
After many years of greater trocanter bursitis and using chiropractic, injections and pain meds I finally had a bursectomy. Immediate relief! I thought I would have to have the other hip done but that pain resolved itself after my hip healed.
Sherry Callahan on January 2, 2020 at 10:01 PM
I have tried injections, therapy, meds, but can't sit long, can't walk without a walker or cane, can't do stairs, can't bend. So the bottom line is how do you do exercises. I also have the hip locking anywhere from 10 - 30 times a day.
Pat on November 27, 2019 at 1:18 PM
Some these exercises are too strenuous for most seniors unless they worked up to the less strenuous ones of many months. I'm a senior. I had physical therapy after a very complicated back and neck surgery. After a few months of healing I was advised to 20 minutes of basic stretches daily. If I didn't have time or felt tired I spread them through out the day. No lunges. No jumping. No twisting. Just slow yoga style stretches. It's been 11 years. 2 Ibuprofen tablets with food in am and 2 at dinner. Rest when needed. Moderation is key.
Ros on October 31, 2019 at 7:06 PM
I have found that sleeping with a pillow between knees/thighs helps a lot.
may dugas on September 7, 2019 at 2:28 PM
I have chronic hip bursitis and I get frustrated because everywhere says to do yoga and yoga IS what gave me the condition. I got hip bursitis from the very exercises you suggest doing on this site to help. In that case, what do I do? It seems the only thing that makes my hip pain subside is not exercising at all which is horrible because I've been exercising since I was a kid and I can't stand not moving my body. I've tried running instead of yoga and that made it hurt too. Do I just become a couch potato? Please, can anyone help?
Lucy on August 13, 2019 at 5:15 PM
I have bursitis and it's gone down my knee been the doctor gave me a shot did not work and I can't walk I've been bed for 5 months.
irene mcpherson on January 8, 2019 at 2:21 PM
I have alot of trouble walking and find it almost impossible to climb stairs. Does anyone else have this problem
Betty Cote on December 23, 2018 at 8:28 AM
I have him pain and tried these exercises and they work. I can't do all because I have had double knee replacement and pigeon move is of list.
margaret on October 11, 2018 at 7:21 AM
i have trochanteric bursitisand was distressed to see how many people have stated they have gone on to live with this awful pain. I have gone through pain medication, cortizone injection, ice and heat. I decided to look at what sportsmen do when injured. Ruby players for example hit the ground with all parts of their bodies with some force' What some of the advice was to yes use ice, rest and compression. I took the advice and have been wearing a compression pants called SKINS I wear one pair specifically for use at night and the other pair during the day coupled with chiropractor help my pain is so much better and I look forward to the pain going completely. Oh I also have started going to the warm hydropool at our local swimming pool where you can do exercises and then graduate to the swimming pool . Swimming is so good for injuries of this kind
Barbara Clement on September 18, 2018 at 9:05 PM
These exercises look good and are a bit difficult to do for me so I hope they help my bilateral greater trocanter bursitis. It bothers me especially at night.