Does Your Hip Hurt When You Stand Up From Sitting?
Do you feel like you have to pause before you can start walking?
If so, watch this video to learn 5 tips to help you stand up without your hip hurting.
Why Does My Hip Hurt When I Stand Up?
Before we get started, it helps to understand why your hip hurts when you stand up.
This largely has to do with muscles getting stiff when you're sitting. It can involve various muscles. However most commonly, it's your hip flexors, and specifically the iliopsoas.
When you're sitting, your iliopsoas muscles are in a shortened position. When you stand up, they have to lengthen quickly. If you muscles can't lengthen fast enough, you may experience pain in either the front or the back of your hips.
Why Does The Outside Of My Hip Hurt When I Stand Up?
If you sit with your legs crossed, the muscles on the outer side of your hip, such as the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus get stretched over the outside of the hip.
If you sit in this position for long periods of time, it can cause the tissues on the outside of the hip to get irritated.
Then when you stand up, you need to use these muscles to maintain your balance, particularly once you start walking.
Tip 1: Sitting Position
The first tip to avoid hip pain when you stand up starts with your sitting position.
Avoid sitting with your legs crossed for long periods, especially if you tend to cross the same leg over the other. Instead, sit with your feet flat on the floor and knees hips width apart.
Additionally, avoid sitting on the edge of your seat with your back arched. Sit further back in your chair, and let the backrest support your spine. This allows your hip flexor muscles to relax
Tip 2: Hip Hinge to Stand Up
When you go to stand up, scoot to the front edge of your chair and lean forward.
This helps shift your center of gravity over your feet so your hip muscles don't have to work as hard.
Standing straight up from a seated position requires more leg strength, but leaning forward helps you stand with less effort.
It’s also a good idea to avoid standing straight up immediately.
Because your hip flexors and lower back muscles can become tight after sitting, standing straight up can pinch nerves in your lower back.
Instead, come up about 75-80% of the way using a hip hinge.
Tip 3: Squeeze Glutes, Externally Rotate
To get the rest of the way up, squeeze your glutes and push your pelvis forward with a slight pelvic tilt.
This action flattens the curve of your lower back instead of excessively arching it.
Think about turning your knees out slightly to activate the gluteus medius and minimus.
This provides more stability when shifting weight onto one leg.
Tip 4: Step with the Nonpainful Leg First
If one hip hurts more than the other when you stand up, it often helps to step with the nonpainful leg first.
Shift your weight onto the painful leg and activate your gluteal muscles on that leg.
Many people tend to under-activate their glutes and over-activate the tensor fascia lata.
This in turn can cause the outer side of your hip and thigh to hurt when you stand on one leg.
Once you feel balanced, take a small step with the other leg.
This action stretches the hip flexor muscles of the sore leg and also activates the glutes before taking a step with that leg.
Tip 5: Take Shorter Steps Initially
After standing up, take shorter steps for the first few steps.
Tight hip flexors can cause your lower back to arch if you take large steps. This in turn can refer pain to your buttock or hip.
Taking shorter steps helps your hip muscles loosen up gradually, allowing you to walk more comfortably.
Bonus: Hip Flexor Stretch
Performing a hip flexor stretch can also help.
Stretching your hip flexors regularly can reduce tightness and pain when standing up from sitting.
Incorporate hip flexor stretches into your daily routine for the best results.
Conclusion
Hopefully, these tips help you stand up with less hip pain.
If you live in the St. Louis area and need help for hip pain, tap the button below to request an appointment with one of our specialist physical therapists.
We'll help you get back to the active, healthy life you want.