5 Hip Pain Relief Stretches & Exercises You Can Do In Bed
These hip pain relief stretches & exercises don’t necessarily need to be done in bed, but they may help relieve hip pain in the morning before getting up, and/or when going to bed at night.
Hip pain can be from a number of reasons. Often our hips will be really stiff when we first wake up or after a long day on our feet. The stretches and exercises can easily be done in your bed.
The first two stretches are an active assisted (AA) hamstring stretch and a knee to chest stretch. These will help stretch the muscles that are connected to your hips/pelvis and help relieve pain and tightness.
Next pelvic tilts and bridges are a great way to not only loosen up the hip and pelvic area, but they also help strengthen your core muscles as well.
Finally, a straight leg raise (SLR) will help strengthen your hip flexor muscles.
Often tight hip flexor muscles can cause hip pain. My favorite stretch for this area is a modified hip flexor stretch. It’s great for the hip, knee, and back area.
Greater trochanteric bursitis, aka hip bursitis, can be very painful & debilitating. It can be caused by trauma to the area, a tight IT band/TFL, or even an issue somewhere else in the body, like the back, knees, or ankles.
A piriformis stretch is great for your piriformis muscle and also your glutes. It can help with hip tightness and is often a great stretch for sciatica and sciatic type pain. This stretch can sometimes be difficult if the hip is tight. But here is a great way to modify the piriformis stretch to get some hip pain relief.
Therapeutic Yoga is a great way to help relieve hip pain by incorporating physical therapy and yoga. Trudy, a fellow PT and registered yoga teacher from HEAL Wellness and Therapy, stopped by to guide me through some stretches and exercises for the hip.
Hip pain can make it difficult to perform everyday activities. Here are three of my favorite hip exercises to help strengthening the muscles, relieve pain, and reduce tightness.
SI Joint pain (or sacroiliac joint pain) is often felt in the low back, and it’s usually on one side or the other. Sometimes it’s called a pelvic rotation. Here are some SI Joint pain exercises to help provide relief.
Hip osteoarthritis (OA) can cause pain in the hips, back & knees, and it can pain when walking. These are moderate hip osteoarthritis exercises, so if they are too difficult, check out my beginner hip osteoarthritis exercises.
The biggest myth about hip arthritis pain relief is that exercise makes the condition worse. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, one of the most beneficial exercises for hip arthritis pain relief is the lunge. Lunges are great to do every day, but make sure to progress slowly so it doesn’t get inflamed.
These hip pain relief stretches & exercises don’t necessarily need to be done in bed, but they may help relieve hip pain in the morning before getting up, and/or when going to bed at night.
