Hip pain covers several different problems that each have a clear pattern. We work out which one fits, then load the hip back to what you need from it.
The word hip means different things to different people. Pain on the outside over the bony point is usually gluteal tendinopathy. Pain deep in the groin points towards the joint itself, whether that is impingement in a younger hip or osteoarthritis in an older one. Pain across the back of the hip often comes from the lower back.
Where the pain sits, what brings it on and how it behaves overnight usually separate these within a single assessment.
Common symptoms:
Almost every hip presentation improves with targeted strength work, and the load that helps depends on the diagnosis. Gluteal tendinopathy responds to abductor loading without compression, so crossing the legs and sleeping positions get addressed early. Hip osteoarthritis responds to strength and general activity, which NICE recommends as first-line care ahead of imaging or injections.
For impingement, we assess movement control and load tolerance through the hip before considering whether a surgical opinion is worth seeking, since a course of well-directed rehab settles a large share of cases.
Hips respond well to loading once the right structure is identified. Here is how we work through it.
We map exactly where the pain sits, test the joint and the tendons separately, and screen the lower back, so treatment targets the structure involved.
Sleeping positions, sitting posture and daily habits often keep a hip tendon compressed. Changing those, alongside early isometric loading, usually settles night pain first.
Progressive abductor, glute and quadriceps loading is what changes hip function, moving from controlled range work towards weight-bearing strength.
We rebuild the hip’s tolerance for walking, hills, running or lifting, and leave you with maintenance work that keeps it comfortable.
Not sure whether your hip pain is the joint, the tendon or referred from your back? Book a free discovery call and we will talk it through, with no obligation.
Book a Free Discovery CallPain lying on one side is the signature of gluteal tendinopathy, where the tendon is compressed against the bony point of the hip. A pillow between the knees and staying off the painful side usually helps within a fortnight.
Frequently not. In a younger active hip, groin pain is more often impingement or a labral problem, and in athletes it can come from the adductors. Age, movement testing and the pattern of stiffness separate them.
Usually not to start treatment. NICE advises diagnosing osteoarthritis clinically in people over 45 with activity-related pain and morning stiffness lasting under 30 minutes, and beginning exercise-based care straight away.
Aggressive stretching often aggravates gluteal tendinopathy, because the stretch compresses the tendon. Strength work is usually the more productive route, with mobility used where genuine stiffness limits movement.
Most hip osteoarthritis is managed without surgery for years. Replacement becomes a reasonable conversation when pain persists despite a genuine trial of strength work and it limits sleep and daily life.
Often yes, at reduced volume, with strength work going in alongside. We set the limits based on how the hip behaves the following morning.
Book a thorough assessment in Uckfield and we will identify what is driving it and build a plan around it.
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