Hip
Hip pain is a common complaint. Your hip is built to take your weight while walking, jumping, and running and it is very difficult to damage it. Pain from the hip can be felt in your groin, on the inside or outside of your thigh, in your buttocks, and at times down your leg. Although this may be worrying, it will usually get better on its own with time.
How Can I Help Myself?
There are things that you can do to help your hip while it is painful. Try to use your hip in the normal way but change the amount you do.
- Walk shorter distances.
- Rest more often.
- Run on softer ground or swim for your exercise.
- Getting fitter and stronger can also help reduce your hip pain. These joints take our body weight during use. Because of this it is helpful for them if you are closer to your ideal weight.
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What Exercise Can I Do?
To keep your hip strong it is good to continue to exercise despite the hip being sore. Strengthening exercise is particularly good for your hip. There are some exercises in this section you may wish to do.
There are some examples of exercises to do below. You can use our symptom tracker to check if what you are doing is helping you to improve.
Would an X-ray or Scan Help?
X-rays and scans can help for a small number of people and in certain situations. However, most of the time it shows us things that are normal for the age of your hip and are not related to your pain. These sorts of findings will not help the hip get better. This is why your GP or clinician may say that it is not needed.
Should I Self Refer?
Most hip pain will settle naturally in time with little or no help. Occasionally you may need some extra help to get your foot and ankle better.
If you feel you would like to talk to a healthcare professional to help you further with your hip you can fill in a self referral form.