Hip bursitis exercises: 6 moves to strengthen your hips and reduce pain

If you've ever felt a nagging pain in your hip, especially after sitting or standing for long periods, you might be dealing with hip bursitis. Hip bursitis occurs when one of your bursa — small, fluid-filled sacs that cushion your joints and reduce friction between bones, tendons, and muscles — becomes inflamed. This causes the bursa to swell and reduces its ability to cushion and protect the joint. This can lead to pain, discomfort, and stiffness in your hip — making everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs, or even standing difficult. 

While the pain can be frustrating, targeted exercises can provide relief, strengthen the muscles around your hips, and help you get back to moving freely and comfortably. Read on to learn which hip bursitis exercises are recommended by Hinge Health physical therapists and how to perform them. 

Interested in getting a personalized exercise therapy plan? Learn more about Hinge Health’s digital physical therapy program and see if you’re eligible.

6 hip bursitis exercises

Movement is one of the best ways to relieve hip bursitis symptoms. It may sound counterintuitive to exercise when doing activities makes your hip hurt, but movement helps increase blood flow to your hips, reduces stiffness and inflammation, and strengthens the muscles surrounding your hips. The following exercises recommended by Hinge Health physical therapists specifically target the structures in and around your hips to reduce and prevent irritation related to hip bursitis.

“This stretches your hip rotator muscles, which help you rotate your foot and leg away from and toward your body,” says Jennifer Hayes, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Hinge Health. These muscles are at work when you do activities like walk, run, and pivot or do things that involve changing directions. Strengthening these muscles helps keep your hips stable when you move so your hip joint functions optimally and relieves pressure on your bursa. 

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Bend one leg and place your ankle on your opposite knee.

• Grasp the back of your thigh or the front of your knee (of the leg on the floor) and gently pull your knee toward you. Your foot will lift off the floor as you hold this stretch.

• Release your foot back to the floor to return to the starting position.

Get more information on how to do a figure four stretch.

“This move targets your gluteus maximus, which is good for hip stability and reducing strain in your hip joint,” says Dr. Hayes. Strong glutes help distribute load more evenly across your hips, which helps if you have an inflamed bursa. This can also help with back and knee pain, which commonly occur in people with hip pain, notes Dr. Hayes.

How to do it: 

• Get into a comfortable position on your hands and knees. 

• Keeping your knee bent, lift one leg off the floor by moving your knee out to the side and toward the ceiling. 

• Focus on squeezing your butt muscles while you hold this position. 

• Bring your leg back to the starting position. 

Get more information on how to do a fire hydrant.

Bridges strengthen your glutes and surrounding hip muscles. This helps you move with greater ease and less hip discomfort, which is very important when it comes to hip bursitis. “This is a particularly good exercise if your hips bother you after sitting or standing for long periods of time,” says Dr. Hayes, since your glutes tend to get tight if you stay in the same position. 

How to do it: 

• Lie comfortably on your back. With your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, push through your feet to raise your hips off the floor.

• Squeeze your butt muscles at the top of the move. 

• Relax your hips back to the floor.

Get more information on how to do a bridge.

“Side planks are great for hip and core strength,” says Dr. Hayes, which takes pressure off an inflamed bursa. “As an added bonus, this is a great exercise for improving balance and preventing falls.” 

How to do it: 

• Lie on your side with your legs straight and your feet stacked on top of each other. Place your forearm on the floor under your shoulder. 

• Push through your feet and forearm to lift your hips up toward the ceiling. 

• Focus on squeezing your core muscles as you hold this position. 

• Lower your hips back to the floor. 

• PT Tip: There are a lot of ways to modify this exercise if it’s too challenging at first. You can do it from your knees, limit how far off the ground you lift your hips, or keep your top hand on the floor in front of you to provide extra balance. 

Get more information on how to do a side plank.

“This exercise improves hip mobility by strengthening muscles around your hip, including the gluteus medius,” explains Dr. Hayes. This alleviates stress on the hip joint, which reduces pressure on the inflamed bursa.

Some people with hip bursitis find clamshells a little painful. “While some pain is okay, you don’t want it to exceed a tolerable level for you,” explains Dr. Hayes. “If your pain goes past a four out of 10, you may want to modify the exercise, such as doing it from a seated position instead of side lying.”   

How to do it: 

• Lie on your side, using a pillow or your arm for head support. 

• Stack your hips and knees on top of each other while bending your knees toward your chest. 

• Keeping your feet together, lift your top knee toward the ceiling as high as you feel comfortable without rotating your low back. 

• Hold this position. 

• Relax your top knee back to the starting position. 

Get more information on how to do a clamshell.

This move helps strengthen the hip abductor muscles, which are a group of muscles on the outer side of your hip that help you move your leg away from the midline of your body. They play a key role in activities like walking, running, and maintaining balance. Strengthening these muscles reduces strain on the hip joint and can alleviate pressure on the inflamed bursa.

How to do it: 

• Place a looped resistance band just above your knees and lie on your side with your arm or a cushion for head support. Your legs should be straight with your feet and knees stacked on top of one another. 

• Lift your top leg up toward the ceiling to stretch the band. 

• Keep your leg straight and your hips stacked as you lift your leg. Focus on squeezing your hip and butt muscles. 

• Lower your leg back to the starting position. 

• PT Tip: If this exercise is too challenging at first, you can do it without the resistance band while you work on building strength. 

The information contained in these videos is intended to be used for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or treatment for any specific condition. Hinge Health is not your healthcare provider and is not responsible for any injury sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these exercises. Please consult with your healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your medical condition or treatment.

Personalizing your hip exercises 

Note: Some of these moves may feel challenging if you’re dealing with a hip bursitis pain flare. On the other hand, if you’re doing these moves proactively to prevent pain, some may feel subtle or too easy. Working with a Hinge Health physical therapist can help make sure your exercises are the right amount of challenge for you. 

Is walking good for hip bursitis?

Yes! Walking can be very beneficial for hip bursitis. Walking is a low-impact, gentle activity that increases blood flow, reduces inflammation, and keeps the muscles around your hip joint strong and flexible. These are all things that ease bursa irritation. Some people worry that walking will make their hip bursitis worse because it can cause a temporary increase in discomfort. This is normal. While some mild irritation may occur during movement, consistent walking can actually relieve pain over time because it makes your hips stronger and more resilient. 

Benefits of hip bursitis exercises 

Perhaps the most important thing to know is that movement is medicine for hip bursitis. Movement in general is great, but incorporating exercises specifically designed for hip bursitis into your routine can make a significant difference in managing symptoms and improving mobility. Here’s how. 

• Reduce pain. “Exercise of any kind increases blood flow and promotes healing,” says Dr. Hayes. It reduces inflammation, which reduces pain related to hip bursitis. 

• Strengthen muscles around the hip. This means your hips have more support when you move, reducing pain and discomfort. 

• Improve flexibility and range of motion. This prevents friction in your hip joint when you move and prevents irritation that contributes to pain, says Dr. Hayes. 

• Greater ease with movement. This just means it’s easier — and less painful — to walk, stand, and do all your daily activities. That usually means you’re able to be more active, which is ultimately what helps hip bursitis symptoms most. 

How Hinge Health can help you

If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program.

The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app when and where it works for you.

Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you.

See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.

This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.

References

1. Sheth, N. P. & Foran, J. R. H. (2022, February). Hip Bursitis. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon — OrthoInfo. Retrieved from https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/hip-bursitis/

2. Van Rode, E. (n.d.). Trochanteric Bursitis. Physiopedia. Retrieved from https://www.physio-pedia.com/Trochanteric_Bursitis