10 Stretching Exercises for Hip Pain
Stretching helps relieve hip pain by increasing flexibility, reducing tension and targeting tight muscles contributing to limited mobility. These 10 stretching exercises work in isolation, but are even better as a complete workout to address hip discomfort and prevent further strain.
If you’re feeling hip pain right now or have a history of pain in the hips, stretching can be highly effective in relieving discomfort and targeting those muscles to enhance overall function.
Gentle stretching is essential for women, especially during pregnancy, to reduce muscle tension and help ease pressure on the hip joint and surrounding nerves. It can also reduce inflammation and support better alignment of the pelvis and lower spine.
I like to incorporate hip stretching into my regular routine as a warm-up, even when my muscles are feeling good. When done regularly, stretching helps prevent further injury by maintaining a healthy range of motion.
From a functional fitness perspective, hip stretches support every part of your day. Most of what you do — walking the dog, bending over for those lower cabinets, sitting at a desk — involves a range of motion in the hips.
Flexible, pain-free hips contribute to better balance and posture and help you perform all of those daily tasks more comfortably, efficiently and safely. In the long term, you’re reducing your risk of falls and chronic pain while enhancing your quality of life.The best part is that you don’t need any special equipment to start addressing hip discomfort. You just need a few minutes and a mat to start strengthening those hip muscles.
Workout Details
This series of gentle stretches and hip exercises is designed for all fitness levels to target muscles like the hip flexors, glutes and piriformis.Tightness in these areas often contributes to discomfort and limited mobility in the hips. Aim to get through this series a few times a week without repetitions. Listen to your body and start slow if you have any existing pain.
Workout Equipment
You don’t need any special equipment for these, just your bodyweight and a yoga mat.
Workout Instructions
Follow along with the guided 10-Minute Hip Pain Relief Workout on YouTube, led by me — your certified personal trainer, Lindsey Bomgren.
Your Workout Looks Like This:
- 10 Stretching and Strengthening Exercises for Hip Pain
- Timed Intervals (Perform Each Exercise for 30 Seconds)
- Perform Each Mobility Exercise x1 (no repeats)
Workout Outline
1. Standing Hip Flexor Stretch
Targets: Hips, hip flexors, groin, quads, glutes, low back and core.
How to Do a Standing Hip Flexor Stretch
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and core engaged for balance.
- Shift your weight onto your left leg and bend your right knee, bringing your right heel up toward your glutes.
- Reach your right hand back and grab the top of your right foot or ankle.
- Gently pull your heel closer to your glutes, keeping your knees close together and hips square.
- Stand tall and avoid arching your lower back — aim to feel a stretch through the front of your right thigh and hip.
- Then slowly release and switch sides.
2. Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
Targets: Hips, hip flexors, groin, quads, glutes, low back and core.
How to Do a Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
- Start in a low lunge position with your right leg forward, right foot planted on the ground and left leg back. Left knee on the ground behind you, back left toes tucked under.
- Square your hips to the front by tucking your tailbone. Your right knee and left knee should be at a 90-degree angle (you don’t need to lean forward).
- Option to raise both arms directly overhead.
- To further intensify the stretch, you have the option to raise your left knee off the mat and find a low lunge position (squeezing your glutes).
- Hold the stretch for about 40 seconds, release and repeat on the left leg during the next set.
3. Seated Figure Four
Targets: The hips and glutes – specifically the piriformis muscle (a flat, band-like muscle located in the buttocks near the top of the hip joint).
How to Do a Seated Figure Four
- Start in a seated position, sitting up straight and legs straight in front of you.
- Pick up your right leg and cross your right ankle over your left knee (creating a “4” shape with your legs).
- Pull your left heel in towards your glutes, planting your left foot on the ground. You should feel a stretch in your right glute and hip.
- Breathe, rolling your shoulders back and keeping your posture tall.
4. Butterfly Stretch
Targets: The upper back, shoulders, chest and neck (as well as the inner thighs and hips).
How to Do a Butterfly Stretch
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and the soles of your feet pressed together.
- Let your knees fall open to the sides, aiming to bring them as close to the floor as is comfortable.
- Clasp your feet with your hands, keeping your spine tall and shoulders relaxed
- Sit up tall on your sit bones, engaging your core to maintain good posture.
- Hold the stretch, gently pressing your knees toward the floor to deepen the stretch through your inner thighs and hips.
5. Knee to Chest with Internal and External Rotation
Targets: Glutes, hips, hip flexors and low back.
How to Do a Knee to Chest with Internal and External Rotation
- Lie flat on your back, both legs long and flat on the mat.
- Pull your left knee in towards your chest. Keep your right leg extended, right toes pointed. Both hips stay grounded on the mat.
- Slowly guide your left knee out towards your left armpit, feeling a gentle stretch through the left hip and groin.
- Then, gently bring your left knee across your body toward your right shoulder, allowing internal rotation through the hip.
- Move slowly between the external rotation (knee to left armpit) and internal rotation (knee to right shoulder), holding each position for a breath or two.
- Drive your right heel into the mat to engage your right leg and deepen the stretch through your right hip flexor.
6. Seated Hip Flexion
Targets: Rectus abdominis, transverse abs, hips and hip flexors.
How to Do a Seated Hip Flexion
- Start sitting on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Lean back slightly, sitting on your sit bones (two sitting bones and tailbone), keeping a nice long spine, shoulders down and back.
- Place your hands just behind your butt for support.
- Slowly pull the left knee in towards the chest as you sit forward slightly to meet the knee.
- With control, lean back as you straighten the left leg out in front of you. Then alternate, this time pulling the right knee in towards the chest.
7. Seated Straight Leg Lifts
Targets: Transverse abdomen (deep abdominal muscles below your rectus abdomen or six pack ab muscles), lower abs and hip flexors.
How to Do a Seated Straight Leg Lifts
- Start sitting on your mat on your “sit bones,” legs out long in front of you, feet wide.
- Pull your belly button towards your spine, then lean back about 45-degrees, activating your core.
- Slowly and with control, lift your right heel up in a half circle, imagining you are lifting your heel over a box between your legs. Bring the right heel to tap the mat next to your left foot.
- Then reverse the motion, returning the right foot to starting position.
- Then, repeat on the left, bringing the left heel up in a half circle before lowering it to tap the mat next to your right foot.
- Reverse the motion, lifting the left heel up and over to the left to return it to starting position.
8. Side Lying Leg Lifts
Targets: Outer glutes, quads (top of legs) and core.
How to Do a Side Lying Leg Lifts
- Start lying on your left side, hips and ankles stacked over each other.
- Keep your left leg on the mat and hover your right leg 2-3 inches above it.
- Squeezing through your outer glute, lift your right heel up a few inches, focusing on making the movement come from your muscle rather than momentum.
- With control, lower your right leg, returning to starting position.
9. Copenhagen Plank
Targets: Internal and external oblique muscles (the muscles that run along the side of your core), transverse abdominus, hip abductors and hip adductors.
How to Do a Copenhagen Plank
- Start by lying on left side of body, left elbow resting on the floor directly beneath left shoulder. Extend both legs out to the right side, option to extend the right arm toward the ceiling.
- Extend your right leg straight out and place the inside edge of your foot on the mat, while your bottom leg hovers just beneath it, fully off the floor.
- Then, pull your left knee and right elbow to meet in a crunch position.
- Hold for a moment, then lower the left knee back towards the ground with control and repeat.
10. Single Leg Glute Bridge
Targets: Glutes, hamstrings, hips, core and pelvic floor.
How to Do a Single Leg Glute Bridge
- Start laying on your back, feet hip-width apart, right foot planted on the floor and left foot extended straight overhead (ankle stacked over knee). Arms extended at your sides or arms straight overhead.
- Press through your heels to lift your glutes off the mat, squeezing your glutes as you lift. Think about keeping your core engaged and knees in line with your hips.
- Exhale, slowly lowering your hips to hover an inch above the mat, returning to starting position.
FAQs
How do I know if my hip pain is muscle or joint-related?
Muscle-related hip pain often feels like an achiness or soreness, and worsens with specific movements or pressure. Joint-related pain is usually deeper and sharper, but may improve with limited movement. (Too much movement can worsen joint pain.)
Swelling, stiffness or a reduced range of motion may also suggest joint involvement. X-rays can get you a definitive answer and rule out or confirm causes like osteoarthritis, a common cause of wrist joint pain.
What causes lower back and hip pain?
Lower back and hip pain can have many different causes, including poor posture, herniated discs or sciatica. Your lifestyle matters, too. Prolonged sitting, a lack of exercise or improper lifting techniques can all contribute to discomfort in your back and hips.
Arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, muscle strain, or muscle tears are common causes of hip pain. A history of hip injuries, such as fractures, dislocations, or overuse injuries from repetitive motions, can also be a possible cause of chronic pain in your hip muscles.
These areas are closely connected, so pain in one can affect the other. Hip pain may radiate to the lower back and vice versa, making it hard to pinpoint the origin without talking to a healthcare provider.
What are some remedies for joint pain?
The best remedies for joint pain depend on the cause of your discomfort. If you’re dealing with sacroiliitis, or inflammation of one or both sacroiliac joints, mobility workouts for improved hip stability can help. This is especially true for pregnancy-related stress on the joints.
In addition to targeted stretching as part of your home workouts, low-impact exercises like swimming or walking can improve flexibility and reduce stiffness. Over-the-counter medication is a quick fix, but it won’t address the root cause of what’s going on.
Rest, ice or heat therapy, as well as a diet rich in healthy fats and protein, can help. If your pain persists despite your best efforts, you may need to call your healthcare professional or physical therapist for medical advice.
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