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The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
For information, call: 847-541-7600
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4 Tips for Managing Hip Pain

February 10, 2021 By Denise Schwartz Leave a Comment

4 Tips for Managing Hip Pain

Hip pain can be quite debilitating and uncomfortable.  Recently, it seems that there is a surge in hip pain because of all the sitting people are doing.  It is now more important than ever to keep moving and take care of your hip pain. 

Hip pain has many different causes, is very common and your diagnosis depends on your specific symptoms. For a proper diagnosis, you should visit your doctor or a qualified physical therapist who specializes in functional movement. 

Regardless of the cause of your pain, there are a few basic things you can do at home to alleviate your discomfort.

1 – Move Mindfully Throughout Your Day

Recently, two women came to see me with hip pain. Both women had recently taken long walks with their partners who were much taller than them.  In order to keep up with their taller partner, these women walked faster and took larger strides than they normally would thus aggravating their hip pain.  Both women were given exercises to strengthen their hips and instruction on how to mindfully walk within their limits, shorter stride length, higher step rate per minute, and pace.  Both women’s hip pain are now resolved.

Simply being aware or mindful of your everyday movements can be very helpful in relieving hip pain. The way you walk, take the stairs, bend over, stand up or sit down can all contribute to your pain if you’re not moving properly.

A big reason people see Physical therapists for hip pain is that they are movement experts that educate patients on how to bring awareness and proper movement to everyday activities. I recently compiled all of my best tips in this eBook: Mindful Tips for Pain-Free Daily Movement. It’s free to download and is full of simple and practical advice that you can put into practice right away. Click here to get the guide.

2 – Manage Your Pain At Home

There are several things you can do, at home, to alleviate your hip pain. If you have a foam roller or hand massage ball, you can gently roll your TFL and IT band.

Front Hip View of IT Band and TFL

You can also go see a massage therapist and have him or her work on your hips. If you do go see a massage therapist, just remember to monitor the intensity and let the therapist know if it hurts. You are in charge of your body!


Icing or heating the sore area and taking over the counter pain medication like Tylenol or Ibuprofen is also helpful for temporary relief.

3 – Gentle Hip Pain Exercises

Gentle exercise like yoga and tai chi can be very helpful in relieving hip pain. I also recommend these basic exercises to all of my patients with hip pain:

  • Bridging – lie on your back, knees bent with a band around your thighs, pull out on band slightly and maintain throughout the exercise, then lift your hips up/down
  • Clamshells – lie on your side, hips and knees bent, band around thighs, then open and close your top leg keeping your feet together
  • Side step ups – step up sideways on a stair or small step, keep your knee straight ahead
  • Sidestep around the house
  • Advanced: sidestep with a band around your ankles, keep steps small with constant tension on band and feet pointing straight ahead
  • Do some squats (watch this video)
  • Stand on one leg throughout the day
  • Stand on one leg (hold onto a counter lightly if needed)
    • Raise other leg out to the side
    • Bring other leg across
    • Raise other leg behind

Do the first 3 exercises at least 3-4 times per week and the others throughout your day, everyday.

4 – Hip mobility exercises

Often hip pain is related to tight hips or tightness elsewhere in the body such as your back or ankles.  Getting out of your chair every hour for at least a few minutes can make a world of difference.  You could simply walk around the house and/or do some of the following exercises:

The set up for each of these hip mobility exercises are the same: stand with your feet shoulder width apart, hands on hips, chest down, shift your weight forward towards toes (see video), and look straight ahead.  These exercises will mobilize your ankles, your hips/pelvis, and your neck which will allow your feet to work with your core and ultimately with better hip/pelvic mobility you will stop overusing your back when moving.

  • Hip hinging forward/back – Watch video
  • Shift hips side to side – Watch video
  • Rotate pelvis right and left – Watch video

I hope these 4 tips for managing hip pain are helpful! Please contact us if you are in pain; we’d be happy to help.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Hip & Knee Pain

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

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The best physical therapist I’ve ever experienced is Denise Schwartz in Wheeling at the Manual Touch. I have seen Denise twice for over 6 months to treat 2 bouts of frozen shoulder that occurred 8 years apart. In addition to my shoulder, she has also helped with my back, exercise regimen, and overall health. She is a holistic practitioner expert in PT techniques and knows how to teach her clients how to fit her techniques easily into their lives. She relates with her clients about as well as any… Read more
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As a young elite athlete I was involved in numerous accidents resulting in scar tissue causing loss of flexibility and restrictions as an adult. After each treatment I feel so much less restriction and experience greater range of motion.
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Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found your suggestions “to shorten my stride” and “being conscious of not overlapping my steps” to be helpful. Thanks Denise  
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I have been receiving PT therapy for pain and autoimmune disorders for over 18 months at The Manual Touch.  This also affects my kidneys and my lungs and other organs as I swell with fluid that my lymph system doesn’t seem to handle well.  I depend on the regular IMT tissue therapy I receive from Denise to help me function as normally as possible.  This therapy seems to work synergistically with the acupuncture and medication I also receive.  There are no cures for these disorders and as n… Read more
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I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic condition which affects the connective tissue throughout my body. As a result of this disorder I deal with ongoing severe acute and chronic pain and a variety of other rare overlapping conditions such as thoracic outl… Read more
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We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
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Testimonials

I saw Denise at The Manual Touch recently for sciatic pain, that only the day before I saw Denise kept me from walking; I could only hobble for short distances before I would sit down and collapse. After some tissue work and gentle exercise with Deni… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/m-d-evanston-il
I was in Florida for vacation and developed an upper respiratory infection. I had annoying coughing and congestion in my chest. This went on for several days, and it was not getting better. It felt like I had a mucous plug stuck in my chest that woul… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/a-b-riverwoods
The best physical therapist I’ve ever experienced is Denise Schwartz in Wheeling at the Manual Touch. I have seen Denise twice for over 6 months to treat 2 bouts of frozen shoulder that occurred 8 years apart. In addition to my shoulder, she has also… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/b-h-elmhurst-il
As a young elite athlete I was involved in numerous accidents resulting in scar tissue causing loss of flexibility and restrictions as an adult. After each treatment I feel so much less restriction and experience greater range of motion.
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/s-northbrook-il
Last winter our daughter Maddie had had several eye and ear infections, and all required topical and oral antibiotics.  These were instigated by a plugged tear duct.  A pediatric ophthalmologist said there was little chance the duct would open up o… Read more
The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return… Read more
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found you… Read more
I have been receiving PT therapy for pain and autoimmune disorders for over 18 months at The Manual Touch.  This also affects my kidneys and my lungs and other organs as I swell with fluid that my lymph system doesn’t seem to handle well.  I depe… Read more
Excellent, professional assessment and treatment for an older woman who’s had lots of failed therapy. Kind and compassionate and caring! Thanks.
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlo… Read more
Read More

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