Preventing hip pain

Why hip injury prevention matters

Hip pain can be frustrating because it often affects the basics, walking, getting dressed, sitting comfortably, and sleeping. The good news is that many common hip problems respond well to the same long-term habits: staying active, building strength, and increasing load gradually.¹ ⁵ ⁶

Prevention is not about “perfect posture” or avoiding movement. It is about keeping your hip joint and the muscles around it strong enough for the life you want to live, and catching small flare-up signals early so they do not become bigger setbacks.⁵ ⁶ ¹³

Managing hip pain: what can trigger flare ups?

FMany flare-ups come from a mismatch between what your hip is ready for and what you ask it to do that day. Common triggers include:

• Sudden activity spikes (for example, a big jump in walking, running, hills, or heavy lifting) that overload the joint, tendons, or bone.⁵ ⁷ ¹¹
• Long periods in one position, like sitting for hours, long car rides, or standing in one spot, which can increase stiffness and irritability in some people.⁵
• Repeated deep hip positions, like deep squats or low chairs, which can be especially provocative for some people with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome when symptoms and clinical tests match imaging.⁴
• Side-lying on the painful hip, or standing with most weight on one leg with the hip “hanging” out, which can compress the outer hip tendons in greater trochanteric pain syndrome.⁸
• Poor sleep and higher stress, which can make pain feel louder and recovery feel slower for many musculoskeletal conditions.⁵
• Ignoring early warning signs, like a new limp, night pain, or pain that keeps ramping up with impact activity, which may need a check-in before you push through.¹¹ ¹²

Learning to notice these triggers early helps prevent small irritations from turning into full flare-ups.

Habits that help prevent flare-ups of hip pain

You cannot remove all risk, but small, steady habits make a real difference for people with hip injury.

• Build strength twice a week: Strong hips spread load better. A simple plan that strengthens the glutes, thighs, and core can reduce pain and improve function in hip osteoarthritis and other common hip issues.⁵ ⁶ ¹³
• Increase activity gradually: If you are adding walking, running, gym work, or sport, step up in small increments, not huge jumps. This helps protect the joint, tendons, and bone from overload.⁵ ¹¹
• Use “movement breaks” on long sitting days: If you sit a lot, stand up and move every 30 to 60 minutes. Even a short walk or a few gentle hip movements can reduce stiffness for some people.⁵
• Protect the outer hip tendons if they are your pain driver: If your pain is on the outside of the hip, avoid long periods of side-lying on that side and avoid “hip-hanging” standing. Then rebuild capacity with targeted hip abductor strengthening.⁷ ⁸
• Work around pinching, not through it: If bending and twisting repeatedly causes a sharp pinch in the front of the hip, adjust range and technique and focus on strength and control first. Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome is a clinical diagnosis, not a scan finding alone.⁴
• Treat flare-ups like a dial, not a switch: During a flare, reduce the most provocative activities for a short time, keep other movement going, then build back up. Supported self-management is a core part of osteoarthritis care.⁵

How Sword helps to prevent hip pain and injury

Move is a guided movement program designed to help you stay active by building strength, improving mobility, and supporting stable movement patterns over time. It’s often used after recovery from a flare-up to help maintain progress and support long-term movement health.

Sword offers movement support that fits into daily life, helping you continue building strength and mobility over time. Programs are guided by expert insight and supported by technology designed to help you stay consistent.

• Focus on strength, mobility, and stability
• Designed to support movement between flare-ups
• Guided programs you can follow on your schedule
• Non-invasive, evidence-informed approach

Clinical insight

If your hip pain is related to outer hip tendons (greater trochanteric pain syndrome), a high-quality trial found that education plus targeted exercise led to better long-term improvement than a single corticosteroid injection.⁷