Do You Get Hip Pain When Sitting?

Watch this video to simple tips to relieve hip pain when sitting...

What Causes Hip Pain When Sitting?

There are many different things that can cause hip pain when sitting. In fact "hip pain" means different things to different people.

Common places people get hip pain:

On the side of the hip
In the groin
In the back of the hip/ buttock

Pain in the back of the hip is often referred from the low back or the sciatic nerve. If you get pain in the back of your hip or buttock when sitting, read our Ultimate Guide To Relieve Lower Back Pain When Sitting to learn tips that can help.

If you have pain in the back of the hip and you haven't had your back ruled out as a cause of your hip pain, it's a good idea to get it checked out.

We'd be happy to help you discover where your hip pain is coming from.

Click to request a Free Discovery Visit

In this post, we'll refer to "hip pain" as pain on the outside of the hip or pain in the groin.

Pain on the outside of the hip can be caused by irritation of the muscles, bursa, tendons, or IT band that run over your hip bone. Pain in the groin is often caused from a problem closer to the hip joint - arthritis, a hip flexor strain, or less commonly, a labrum tear.

That being said, it's not as important which of those structures is the cause of your pain as much as what you can do to stop it.

Pain On The Outside Of The Hip

Use These Tips To Prevent Pain On The Outside Of The Hip Pain When Sitting:

Avoid crossing your legs when sitting.
Avoid sitting with your knees narrower than your feet.
The best option is to sit squarely with both feet flat and hips, knees, and ankles all the same width.
If you NEED to cross your legs when sitting, cross at the ankles rather than the hips.

Hopefully these tips will help you avoid pain on the outside of the hip when sitting. For more tips like these, you can downlad a FREE copy of our Hip Pain Guide below:

7 Simple Tips To Get Rid Of Hip Pain by Dr. Dave Candy, More 4 Life Physical Therapy, St. Louis, MO

Groin Pain When Sitting

Groin pain when sitting happens when you either pinch your thigh bone against the pelvis (called "femoroacetabluar impingement" or FAI), or pinching the hip flexor tendons in your groin.

Use These Tips To Prevent Groin Pain When Sitting:

As mentioned above, don't cross your legs or sit with your knees closer together than your feet.
Don't sit too upright. This causes your pelvis to tilt forward and can cause pinching in the groin. It also causes your hip flexor muscles to be on constant tension.
To solve this, sit all the way back in your chair, allowing your low back to relax into the chair back.
If you continue have groin pain when sitting after sitting back, raising your chair height can help, especially if you're a taller person.