What Specialists Recommend to Relieve Hip Pain and Improve Mobility

Whether its arthritis that’s making your hips suffer or sitting at a desk all day long, hip pain is no laughing matter, especially when the simplest of activities like walking or bending becomes a drag.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 percent of adults in the United States suffer from hip pain, the third most common joint pain, right behind shoulder pain and knee pain.

Fortunately, there are ways to relieve hip pain and bounce back like new. According to Doug Kechijian, a doctor of physical therapy and the CEO and co-founder of Resilient Performance Systems in New York City, it’s essential that you lower inflammation in your body, strengthen your core and improve your mobility.

Here’s how to do it right in order to relieve Hip Pain

Start your morning with exercise

The bridge exercise is a very efficient way to activate and engage your muscles in the morning and help your body successfully face the physical challenges throughout the rest of the day.

All you need to do is lie on your back, bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the ground. Slowly raise your hips off the floor while tightening your abs and maintain your knees aligned with your ankles, without arching your back. Hold for 5 seconds and return to the initial position.

This is one example of exercise to relieve or prevent hip pain. For other types, you’ll be needing the following tools:

• Foam roller or massage ball
• Stretching strap
• Mini exercise ball

Stretch your body

Stretching is extremely important if you want to relieve the pain in your hips and any other part of your body for that matter.

Start by kneeling on the side where you feel the pain while holding onto something firm for support and balance. Lean your pelvis forward and tighten your glutes. Continue by leaning away from the side of your hip that’s causing you pain. You should be able to feel a stretch from your hip bone down your leg to your knee. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat at least one more time.

Strengthen your inner thighs

Your inner thighs provide great support to your hips, therefore, working on your inner thigh muscles is a must.

Lie on your back and place a medicinal ball between your knees and start squeezing. It’s better if you can find a ball about the size of a kickball but a hard pillow or a Pilates ring can also be used for effective results. Do one set of 10 repetitions and work your way from there to three or four sets.

Use ice to cool off inflammation

According to Amy Humphrey, DPT, a physical therapist at Body Dynamics, Inc. in Arlington, Va., using ice to ease the pain and inflammation of a joint caused by arthritis or bursitis is simple, affordable and soothing. If it’s very painful, I sometimes tell patients to ice four or five times daily for about 10 to 15 minutes”, she says.

 Your hips don’t lie, so make sure you pay attention to the signals they’re sending you. If certain activities cause you any hip pain, it’s time you start taking action and regain control over your body. If the pain persists no matter what you do, don’t hesitate to consult a specialist.

See also Keep Your Joints Healthy with the Best Supplements for Joints and find useful information on how to keep your bones and muscles healthy!