15 Exercises and Stretches to Relieve Your Hip Pain Fast

Hip pain can be incredibly uncomfortable and distracting, with causes ranging from tight muscles to osteoarthritis, a joint condition. Some exercises and stretches for hip pain may be just as helpful, if not better, than medication alone. Targeted exercises work the hip muscles and help you build strength to stabilize the joint, while regular hip joint movements help improve flexibility and reduce stiffness.

The hip flexors, a group of muscles found at the front of the hip, are a common cause of hip pain. They can become tight or strained from sitting for long periods, playing certain sports, having weak or stiff muscles, and falling. Stretching these muscles can help improve flexibility and reduce symptoms.

To do this stretch:

1. Place a mat or a soft surface on the floor.
2. Start in a lunge position, with one leg bent at a 90-degree angle and the other knee on the ground.
3. Engage your core (the muscles in your midsection) by tightening your stomach muscles while keeping your spine straight.
4. Squeeze your glutes (the muscles in your buttocks) and very gently push your hip forward to stretch.
5. Hold for 20-30 seconds, and then switch legs and repeat.

To make this stretch even deeper, raise the arm on the same side as the knee touching the ground, hold it there briefly, then lower it back down to its starting position. Remember to keep your pelvis tucked and your core engaged so you don’t arch your back too much.

This exercise strengthens the glutes, core, and lower back, which are important for maintaining hip and pelvic health. Strengthening these muscles can reduce pain from hip instability. Strength exercises can also help prevent future complications with certain hip conditions.

To do this exercise:

1. Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, about hip-width apart.
2. Engage your core and press your lower back into the floor.
3. While tightening your core, use your glutes to bring your hips and pelvis toward the ceiling until you make a straight line with your thighs, hips, and torso.
4. Hold for 3-5 seconds, then slowly lower your hips back down and complete additional reps. 

This stretch targets the hip rotators, the muscles that allow the hip to rotate inward and outward. Improving the range of motion in these deep hip muscles can reduce pain and improve movement in your hip joint. You can do this exercise lying on the floor or sitting in a chair. 

To do this stretch:

1. Lay on the floor and cross one leg over the other, with your knee bent about 45-90 degrees.
2. Gently push your knee forward to feel the stretch on the backside of your hip.
3. Hold for 20-30 seconds and adjust how much pressure you put on your knee to increase or decrease the stretch. 
4. Switch sides, and repeat.

This movement strengthens weak hip abductors and improves the hip joint’s stability. The hip abductors are a group of muscles on the outer hip that allow the leg to move away from the body. They help with balance, stability, and walking.

To do this movement:

1. Lie on your side with your legs stacked on top of each other and your bottom knee bent at 90 degrees.
2. Flex the foot of the top leg and lift your leg straight up, keeping it perfectly aligned with your pelvis, shoulders, and head.
3. When you can no longer lift your leg any higher, hold this position for 2-3 seconds and then slowly lower your leg.
4. Switch sides, and repeat.

The most important thing about this exercise is not to let your front leg stick out too far forward. Otherwise, you’ll feel the front of your thigh instead of the outer hip, which is the area you want to strengthen.

Hip circles are a mobility (movement) exercise that helps increase the hip joint’s range of motion while also improving stability. The exercise can help relieve discomfort caused by tight or restricted hips.

To do this exercise:

1. Start on all fours, with your palms and knees flat on the ground.
2. With one leg, rotate your hip back, up, and around a big circle while keeping your lower back as flat as possible. You want the movement to only come from the hip. 
3. Then reverse the circle on the same leg, bringing your knee forward, out, back, and down.
4. Repeat several times on each side.

This is another quadruped exercise that works the glutes, improving the stability and strength of the hip joint. For a greater challenge, you can also do this exercise with resistance bands.

To do this exercise:

1. Start on all fours, with your palms and knees flat on the ground.
2. Keep your knee bent at 90 degrees and lift it out to the side as high up as you can go, without shifting the leg forward. 
3. Engage your core to keep your pelvis and lower back level. Your hip shouldn’t move up or down during this exercise.
4. Keep your leg up for 2-3 seconds before lowering the leg back down.
5. Switch sides, and repeat.

The butterfly stretch targets your inner leg muscles. If this stretch is too challenging, you can modify it by leaning back and placing your hands behind you, instead of forward on your ankles or feet. 

To do this stretch:

1. Sit on the floor with your feet touching together and knees bent out to the sides.
2. While holding your ankles, gently press your knees toward the ground.
3. Hold for 20-30 seconds; you should feel the stretch in the inner thighs and hips.

This yoga pose stretches the hip rotators and glutes, which can help relieve tightness, especially in the outer hip area. It’s a bit more advanced and requires a prerequisite ability to get into the position. If it’s too much or you’re not feeling the stretch, you can also modify it by placing a yoga block under your buttocks to reduce the stretch.

To do a pigeon pose:

1. Start on all fours and bring one bent knee forward, placing it behind your wrist on the same side.
2. Extend your back leg, keeping your front leg in place. 
3. If you want to increase the stretch, lean forward and lower your torso toward the ground, holding this position for 20-30 seconds.

The shin box 90-90 stretch is an excellent mobility exercise that targets the hip flexors, rotators, and glutes. It’s great for improving internal and external hip rotation, which can often become limited due to sedentary habits, tight muscles, or joint stiffness. 

To do a shin box 90-90 stretch:

1. Sit on the floor with one leg in front of you, bent at a 90-degree angle, and the other leg to the side behind you, also bent at 90 degrees.
2. While keeping your spine straight, lean forward over your knee and hold this position for 20-30 seconds.
3. Maintaining the same 90-90 position, switch to your other side and hold again for 20-30 seconds. You should feel the stretch in the front hip, inner thigh, and glutes.

Lateral lunges specifically target your glutes and are good for building strength, stability, and balance, as well as improving hip mobility.

To do a lateral lunge:

1. Start with your feet about hip-width apart, engage your core, and look forward. 
2. Keep your feet pointed forward and lunge to the side with one leg while you keep the non-loaded leg straight.
3. Keep your knee in line with your foot, so it stays straight and doesn’t lean to the side.
4. Shift your weight into the lunged leg while keeping your foot forward.
5. Make sure you push your hip back slightly as you lunge, initiating a hinging pattern.
6. Push into the floor to propel yourself back to the starting position before completing additional reps, and then switch to the other side.

The deep squat stretches all areas of the hip joint and also mobilizes your knee and ankle joints. It’s a more advanced stretch that requires a higher level of mobility. 

To do this stretch:

1. Position your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and point the toes slightly outward to allow for a deeper squat.
2. Lower yourself into a deep squat, bending your knees and hips as low as you can. If you feel like you’re falling backward as you squat, hold onto something in front of you for extra support and/or add something like small, flat-weight plates under your heels to reduce the stretch.
3. Sit into the position while keeping your torso as upright as you can.
4. Hold this position for as long as you feel comfortable, and then gently come out of it by standing back up or simply sitting back on your buttocks.

The single-leg lying hip stretch is a more gentle hip stretch that targets one hip at a time, allowing you to relax into the movement.

To do this stretch:

1. Lay flat on the floor and pull one knee toward your chest as much as you can while keeping the other leg straight. If you can’t grab your knee as you lie back, you can also use a yoga strap for assistance and place a pillow under your head to reduce any strain on your neck.
2. Hold the position for 60 seconds, and remember to breathe as you hold.
3. Release and switch sides. 

This strength exercise targets your hips because of the wide stance and hinging combo. You can increase or decrease the difficulty of the exercise by adjusting the weight of the kettlebell. 

To do this exercise:

1. Stand tall with a kettlebell placed between your legs and your feet spread slightly wider than shoulder width.
2. Brace your core to keep your spine straight, bend your hips, and grab the kettlebell while keeping your torso parallel to the floor.
3. With straight arms and a tight core, lift the kettlebell by pushing your hips forward. Keep the kettlebell close to your body and don’t let it drift out in front of you.
4. Extend fully at the top and slightly squeeze your glutes. 

This classic yoga move stretches your hip joint and improves flexibility.

To do this pose:

1. Sitting on the floor with your knees spread apart, walk your hands as far forward as you can and bring your head toward the mat.
2. Once you sit all the way back on your heels and your head is resting on the floor, hold the position and breathe deeply.
3. Hold this position for about 60 seconds before releasing. 

If this pose is too challenging and you can’t fully get on your heels, you can modify it by sitting back on yoga blocks.

Squats challenge your entire lower body and improve the stability and strength of your hips.

To do this exercise:

1. Keep your feet hip-width apart and toes pointing forward, then lower into a squat. Try to keep your torso upright and don’t allow the knees to collapse inward or bow out.
2. Stop once you reach nearly parallel, and return to the starting position.
3. Repeat this motion, keeping your core braced the whole time. 

Always let how you feel doing the exercises be your guide. If you have pain, either don’t do the movement or modify it so you don’t have pain. Before starting an exercise routine, consider discussing options with a healthcare provider or physical therapist if you have a hip condition. They can help determine which exercises would work best for you, depending on the cause of your hip pain.

Hip pain is uncomfortable, but exercise is one of the best ways to address it. Certain exercises can help with hip mobility, stability, strength, and pain relief.

If you have hip pain and want to try including exercise in your daily routine, consider reaching out to a healthcare provider who can help you incorporate exercises that are safe and will work for you.