Your hips carry you up stairs, power you out of a chair and keep your pelvis steady with every step. When the muscles around them weaken, whether from injury, surgery, arthritis or long hours of sitting, everyday movements can start to ache and your balance may feel less sure.
Hip strengthening exercises target the glute muscles and the other muscles that move and steady the hip. The routine below starts on the floor and builds toward standing balance work, so you can begin where you are comfortable.
Why hip strength matters
The gluteus maximus, the large muscle of your buttock, drives you up stairs and out of a chair. The smaller gluteus medius, on the side of your hip, keeps your pelvis level each time you stand on one leg, which happens with every step.
Signs these muscles may need work include:
- Your pelvis dips or your body sways to one side as you walk
- Your knee drifts inward when you squat or step down
- Getting up from a low chair takes a push from your hands
If hip pain is part of the picture, an evaluation can pin down the cause before you start.
Getting started safely
- Warm up with five minutes of walking or easy cycling.
- Move slowly, especially on the way down.
- Start with one set of 8 to 10 repetitions, two or three days a week, and build toward two or three sets.
- Mild muscle fatigue is expected. Sharp or catching pain in the joint means stop.
- After hip surgery, follow your surgeon's and therapist's precautions first.
Seven hip strengthening exercises to try
On the floor
- Glute bridge. Lie face up with your knees bent and feet planted. Squeeze your buttocks and lift your hips until your body forms a line from shoulders to knees. Hold for two or three seconds, then lower slowly.
- Clamshell. Lie on your side with hips and knees bent and heels together. Keeping your feet touching and your pelvis still, open your top knee, then close it. You should feel it in the side of your hip.
- Side-lying leg raise. Lie on your side with your bottom knee bent and your top leg straight, toes facing forward. Lift the top leg, leading with your heel, without rolling your hips back, then lower slowly.
Standing moves for strength and balance
- Sit-to-stand. Sit near the front of a sturdy chair set against a wall. Lean forward slightly and stand up, using your hands only if needed, then sit back down slowly. A higher seat makes it easier.
- Banded side steps. With a light resistance band above your knees, bend your knees slightly and take 10 small steps to one side, then return.
- Step-up. Facing the bottom stair, step up with one foot and press through that heel to stand tall, then step down slowly. Hold the railing.
- Single-leg stance. Stand beside a counter and lift one foot slightly. Keep your pelvis level and hold up to 30 seconds per side, letting go of the counter as you improve.
How to make progress
Once you can do two or three sets with good control and no lingering pain, change one thing at a time:
- Add repetitions, up to about 15
- Slow the lowering phase to a count of three
- Add a firmer band or a light ankle weight
- Move to single-leg versions, such as a single-leg bridge
Strength usually builds over several weeks to a few months. With hip arthritis, many therapists use a simple rule: mild discomfort during exercise is acceptable if it has settled by the next day.
Hip rehabilitation after injury or surgery
After a hip injury or operation, which exercises you do, and when, depends on what was repaired and how it's healing. Early hip rehabilitation often begins with gently tightening the thigh and buttock muscles, then builds toward walking, stairs and balance. Post-surgical rehab guided by a physical therapist keeps each step matched to your recovery.
When hip pain needs prompt care
Call 911 if you fall and can't get up or bear weight on your leg, especially if it looks shorter or turned outward. Also call 911 for chest pain or sudden shortness of breath, particularly in the weeks after surgery.
Get same-day care for calf pain or swelling after an operation, or a hot, swollen hip with fever. See a doctor soon for hip pain that wakes you at night or comes with leg numbness or weakness.
Frequently asked questions
Can hip strengthening exercises help hip arthritis?
For many people, yes. Medical guidelines for hip osteoarthritis recommend exercise, including strengthening, as a first-line treatment. Exercise won't reverse arthritis, but stronger muscles help support the joint and may ease pain and stiffness, making walking and stairs easier. A physical therapist can adjust the routine to how your hip responds.
Do hip exercises help knee pain?
They often do, especially for pain around the kneecap. When the hip muscles are weak, the thigh can turn inward as you run, squat or climb stairs, which may add stress at the knee. Research supports combining hip and knee strengthening for this kind of pain. Read more about how we treat knee pain.
When can you start exercising after a hip replacement?
Usually very soon, in a limited way. Many people begin gentle exercises such as ankle pumps within a day of surgery, guided by the hospital team. More demanding moves, such as bridges or side-lying leg raises, are added over the following weeks depending on your surgical approach and precautions. Follow your surgeon's and therapist's timeline over any general routine.
Strengthen your hips with help from PMR
If hip pain or weakness is getting in the way of walking, stairs or sport, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation of NY & CT (PMR) can find out what's limiting your hip and build a plan around your goals. Request an appointment and our team will contact you to arrange a visit at PMR of Danbury or PMR of Brewster.