Try These Exercises for Hip Pain to Run Longer and Faster Ache-Free
Find relief from a common runner complaint with these 14 moves.
Along with black toenails, chafing, and blisters, hip pain is one of those annoying-yet-all-too-common aspects of running. Indeed, in a survey of 675 marathon runners, published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery in 2018, nearly half the respondents reported hip or knee pain.
“It’s common,” physical therapist Spencer Agnew, founder of Peak Endurance Performance and Physical Therapy in Wisconsin, says of hip pain. It’s often runners just starting out or those working through a race training cycle that have irritation through the hip, he tells Runner’s World.
Just because cranky hips are a frequent occurrence doesn’t mean you have to put up with them. We tapped experts for a round-up of stretches and exercises for hip pain to potentially alleviate this ailment. Plus, they explain what causes hip pain and which red flags signal that you should see a physical therapist or doctor.
The Causes of Hip Pain When You Run
Typically, hip pain while you run is due to the hips (or part of the hips) being overloaded. In other words, they are doing too much or taking on too much pressure from the impact of the ground. But the “too much” aspect likely occurs because of a specific training error, namely running too much without enough recovery. Agnew explains that runners need to balance stressing and resting their joints (and muscles).
Sussing out the exact cause of hip pain can be “a little bit tricky,” exercise physiologist Janet Hamilton, coach with Running Strong in Georgia, tells Runner’s World. That’s because, sometimes, it’s due to an issue within the hip itself — say, arthritis, trochanteric bursitis (swelling near the hip joint), a hip stress fracture, or a labral tear (an injury to the cartilage near the joint), she says.
Furthermore, hip pain can also indicate a problem elsewhere, such as tightness or strength asymmetries in your low back, Hamilton explains.
Finally, because lots of different muscle groups cross the hip joint, including the quads, glutes, hip flexors, and hamstrings, issues with strength or mobility in any of these areas can potentially affect the hips.
Why Exercises and Stretches May Alleviate Hip Pain
Strength exercises can relieve hip pain by building up resilience within the hip complex so that it better tolerates the loads you put on it through running, Agnew explains. Likewise, stretching can provide temporary relief from hip pain caused by tight muscles.
Agnew says your best bet is to prioritise strength work as that might prevent muscles from becoming tight in the first place. That’s because, in response to being overloaded, a weak muscle may respond by becoming tighter. This shortening can, ultimately, reduce mobility and cause pain when those same muscles are called upon to move, such as during a run.
The right stretches and exercises for hip pain will depend on the root cause of your discomfort. However, the movements below are a good starting point because all of them target the many muscles that cross the hip joint.
The Best Exercises for Hip Pain
How to use this list: As you do these, focus on moving through your full range of motion, Agnew says. The number of reps and sets will depend on your experience level and coordination abilities. But beginners should aim for about 1 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps, and advanced exercisers can amp up the challenge by adding weights while scaling back the rep count to about 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps for moderate weights and 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 6 reps for heavy weights.
Aim to do these exercises twice a week. You will need a small resistance band, a mat, a box or step, and if you’re ready for weights, grab dumbbells.
1. Single-Leg Toe Tap
Why it works: This move strengthens your the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, which stabilise and control your hips. Doing this work unilaterally, or one leg at a time translates over to running, Agnew explains, because although you use both legs when you run, they move independently throughout your workout.
How to do it:
- Stand with feet together and shift weight to left leg. Maintaining an upright posture with chest up, shoulders down and back. Bend left knee slightly. This is the starting position.
- Reach right foot forward to tap ground. Return to starting position
- Reach right foot to the side to tap the ground. Return to starting position.
- Without leaning forward at the waist, reach right foot directly behind and tap ground with toes. Return to starting position.
- Repeat sequence.
- Then switch sides.
2. Single-Leg Step Down
Why it works: Similar to the toe tap, this beginner-friendly exercise also works your side glutes and boosts hip stability and control from a single-leg stance.
How to do it:
- Stand sideways on the edge of a step with one foot grounded on the step and the other dangling off the step.
- Bend knee of foot on step, sending hips back and reaching opposite foot forward to tap the heel on the ground slightly in front of body.
- With control, straighten knee and stand back up.
- Repeat.
- Then switch sides.
3. Single-Leg Glute Bridge
Why it works: This exercise works your gluteus maximus, which plays a big role in hip extension during the push-off phase of running.
How to do it:
- Lie faceup on the mat with knees bent, feet flat on floor, arms resting at sides.
- Lift right foot of the floor, bending knee and keeping knee over hip. This is the starting position.
- Drive through left heel and lift hips toward ceiling, engaging glutes. Make sure core is engaged so you’re not lifting with the low back.
- Slowly lower back down to starting position.
- Repeat.
- Then switch sides.
4. Clamshell
Why it works: This beginner-friendly exercise works your hip abductors, which are important for pelvic stability and knee alignment on the run. Add a resistance band around the thighs to up the challenge.
How to do it:
- Lie on right side with right forearm on the ground, elbow directly under shoulder.
- Bend knees, stack hips, knees, and ankles.
- Externally rotate left hip, engaging glute and drawing left knee up toward ceiling to open legs like a clamshell. Keep feet together.
- Slowly lower knee.
- Repeat.
- Then switch sides.
5. Deadlift
Why it works: Deadlifts are one of the best exercises for working the posterior chain, including the glutes.
How to do it:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, down in front of legs.
- Slowly send glutes back, hinging at the hips while keeping back straight and abs tight. Engage hamstrings and glutes to resist the downward pull of gravity as the weight lowers toward the floor. Lower as far as you can until you feel tension along the backs of legs.
- Drive feet into the ground to stand back up.
- Repeat.
6. Squat
Why it works: Along with the deadlift, this move can help build explosive power and propel you forward as you stride, Agnew says.
How to do it:
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out. Spine should be neutral, shoulders back and down, chest open and tall. Hold a dumbbell in both hands, racked at shoulders.
- Initiate the movement by sending hips back and down, as if you’re sitting in a chair. Bend knees to lower down as far as possible, keeping chest lifted and heels planted. Aim to get thighs at least parallel to the floor. If mobility allows, lower further.
- Press through feet to stand back up, driving feet into the ground.
- Repeat.
The Best Stretches for Hip Pain
How to use this list: Hold each stretch for about 60 seconds, suggests Agnew. Make sure the sensation is gentle, not painful. Stretching too aggressively can exacerbate hip pain, Agnew warns.
You can do these stretches daily, and even as often as multiple times a day, if they feel good! You will need a chair and an exercise mat.
7. Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
Why it works: Consistently shortened hip flexors — which happens when we sit at a desk most of the day — can lead to tightness and aches at the hips. This move focuses on stretching them out.
How to do it:
- Get into a half-kneeling lunge position with left foot forward and planted, and right knee planted firmly on the ground, both knees bent 90 degrees.
- Place hands on hips. Tuck pelvis under to feel a gentle stretch through the front of right hip. Gently press hips forward.
- Hold for 60 seconds.
- Then switch sides.
8. Figure 4 Stretch
Why it works: This stretch loosens the piriformis (a small muscle below the glutes that helps rotate the hips).
How to do it:
- Lie faceup with knees bent
- Cross right ankle over left knee.
- Lace fingers behind the left hamstring, then gently pull the left knee toward torso to activate the stretch on the right side.
- Hold the stretch for 60 seconds, keeping upper body flat against floor.
- Relax, then switch sides.
9. Knee Hug Stretch
Why it works: Lack of use from sitting all day and running too much can leave the glutes feeling achy. This stretch lengthens the gluteal muscles, which can help to relieve some of that pain.
How to do it:
- Sit tall on floor with legs extended, chest tall.
- Bend right leg and cross it over the left.
- Grab right knee with arms and bring it toward left shoulder to feel a gentle stretch in the right glutes.
- Hold for 60 seconds.
- Then switch sides.
10. Cat-Cow
Why it works: This move helps with spinal mobility, and that can alleviate hip pain caused by back tightness, says Hamilton.
How to do it:
- Start on all fours, wrists under shoulders and knees under hips.
- Slowly inhale, lifting crown of head and tailbone upward to come into a slight back bend.
- Pause, then slowly exhale, drawing belly button to spine to tailbone forward and draw chin towards chest.
- Repeat sequence, moving with breath.
11. Quad Stretch
Why it works: The quads (a group of muscles on the front of the thigh) is one of the largest to cross the hip joint and tightness due to overuse can often lead to hip pain. Regularly performing this stretch — rather than doing it in response to pain — is more likely to help prevent aches in the first place.
How to do it:
- Lie facedown on floor.
- Bend right knee, foot behind you, and hold right ankle, just above foot, with right hand.
- Pull foot and calf toward glutes, knee pointing toward the ground.
- Tuck pelvis slightly forward. Keep knees close together; don’t allow right knee to lift sideways.
- Hold for 60 seconds.
- Repeat on left leg.
12. Butterfly Stretch
Why it works: This stretch targets your inner thigh a.k.a. adductors, which work to stabilise your leg when you run. If they are tight, they can also make the hip hurt.
How to do it:
- Sit on the ground. Shoulders away from ear, spine tall.
- Bring the soles of feet together, and keep back straight.
- Hold this position to feel a stretch in inner thighs.
13. Press Up
Why it works: Like cat-cow, this exercise can help alleviate hip pain by addressing back tightness. It also loosens up the hip flexors.
How to do it:
- Lie facedown and place palms on ground underneath shoulders.
- Press through palms and extend arms as far as comfortable, keeping hip bones on the ground.
- Hold for 60 seconds. If this is too much of a stretch for the back, lower to forearms and hold the stretch from there.
14. Hamstring Stretch
Why it works: Tight hamstrings can cause the hip bones to “impinge” or rub against each other, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine. This stretch helps to loosen them up.
How to do it:
- From a standing position, elevate one foot on a bench, chair, or low table. Make sure toes on grounded foot point toward the bench and toes on bench point toward the ceiling.
- From here, push glutes back to feel a hamstring stretch in front leg, keep back flat. (Deepen stretch by sending glutes back more, chest coming toward floor.)
- Hold for 60 seconds.
When to See a Physical Therapist about Hip Pain
If you have hip pain when you run, and it doesn’t improve with strength exercises, stretching, or scaling back your training plan, then you should definitely seek help, Agnew says. The sooner you get checked, the better, he adds. This can help you avoid serious issues like stress fractures and allow you to resume pain-free running sooner.
Remember: Your hips are a complex, challenging joint, Hamilton says, so don’t be afraid to consult a professional if something in that area seems amiss.
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