Hip OA
Hip Osteoarthritis
Protection → Controlled Motion → Return to Function
What Hip Osteoarthritis Is
Hip osteoarthritis is wear-and-change in the hip joint — the cartilage thins and the joint gets stiff and achy, usually with groin or deep-hip pain, stiffness after rest, and trouble with things like putting on socks. The most important thing to know: motion and strength are protective. The worst thing for an arthritic hip is to stop moving it.
- Primary — Typical hip OA — groin or deep-hip pain and stiffness, worse after rest and with weight-bearing, easing with gentle movement. This protocol is for it.
- Secondary — Advanced or other causes — constant severe pain, unrelenting night pain, or a rapidly worsening hip may need medical or surgical input; deep hip pain can also come from the back.
Involved tissues: The hip joint cartilage and its capsule, and the muscles that support and offload the joint — especially the glutes and the deep hip stabilizers.
Two pillars for hip OA: first, keep it moving — gentle, regular motion and load are protective and reduce stiffness (rest makes an arthritic joint worse, not better); second, strengthen and offload — build the glutes and hip muscles to support the joint, and manage overall load (including body weight) to reduce what the joint carries. Motion is medicine; strength is the support.
Motion is medicine for arthritis
The instinct with an achy, arthritic hip is to rest it — but that's backwards. Cartilage is fed by movement, and a hip that stops moving gets stiffer, weaker, and more painful. The evidence is strong that exercise is a first-line treatment for hip OA — it reduces pain and improves function as well as many other options. So the plan is gentle, regular MOTION to keep the joint mobile and nourished, plus STRENGTH (especially the glutes) to support and offload it, plus smart load management. You won't 'wear it out' by moving it well — you protect it by keeping it strong and mobile.
⚠️ Screen Before You Start — Get Assessed First If You Have:
- ●Constant, severe, or rapidly worsening hip pain
- ●Unrelenting night pain, with unexplained weight loss or feeling unwell
- ●Sudden inability to bear weight, or hip pain after a fall (rule out a fracture)
- ●Fever with a hot, painful hip (rule out infection)
- ●Numbness, tingling, or leg weakness (may be coming from the back)
This is education, not a diagnosis, and doesn't replace hands-on care.
🌡️ Finding your stage
Take your movement temperature. A flared-up, painful, stiff hip = Protection (calm it, gentle motion). Settling and tolerating more = Controlled Motion (build strength and mobility). Good days outnumbering bad, ready for more load = Return to Function. With arthritis, mild achiness that settles is expected and okay; a lasting flare means you did a bit too much. Re-check every session.
Phase 1 · Acute · Flare
Protection Phase
🌡️ Flared · painful · stiff
Goal: Calm a flare while keeping the hip gently moving — because an arthritic hip stiffens fast with rest.
Manual treatment: Pain-relief modalities and gentle, comfortable range of motion.
Frequency: Daily · short, gentle, frequent movement.
A. Calm & Keep Moving
SoftWave Therapy
Video coming soon- Dose
- As scheduled
- How
- Applied to the hip to calm symptoms and stimulate the healing response.
- Watch for
- Helps settle a flare so you can keep the hip moving.
Gentle Range of Motion
Video coming soon- Dose
- 2–3 × 10 · comfortable range
- How
- Move the hip daily through comfortable flexion and rotation — don't let it stiffen up.
- Watch for
- Even in a flare, gentle motion beats total rest — the joint stiffens quickly if you stop.
Activity Modification (modify, don't stop)
Video coming soon- Dose
- Ongoing
- How
- Break activity into shorter, frequent bouts and modify what flares it — but keep moving.
- Watch for
- The goal is to modify, not to rest completely.
B. Gentle Activation
Glute Squeeze / Bridge
Video coming soon- Dose
- 2 × 10
- How
- Gentle glute squeezes and bridges to keep the supporting muscles active.
- Watch for
- Start waking up the muscles that will offload the joint.
Protection-phase precaution: even in a flare, keep the hip gently moving — an arthritic hip stiffens fast with rest. Modify aggravating activities rather than stopping all activity.
✅ Ready for the next phase when:
The flare settles, stiffness eases, and you're ready to load.
Tracking Your Progress
The weekly stability check: am I better, the same, or worse than last week?
Better
Stay the course; progress strength and activity as the good days outnumber the bad.
Same
Change something — the load, the drill, or the aerobic dose. Consistency matters most here.
Worse
Drop back to gentle motion and calm the flare. If pain is constant, severe, or you can't bear weight, get assessed.
The Rules That Govern This Protocol
- 1Keep it moving — motion and load are protective; rest makes arthritis worse.
- 2Strengthen the hip (glutes) to support and offload the joint.
- 3Manage overall load, including body weight, to reduce what the joint carries.
- 4No lasting increase in pain after a session (mild achiness that settles is expected).
Movement You Love Is Therapy. This protocol is general education based on course rehabilitation materials and standard principles. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and does not create a provider–patient relationship. If pain is severe, worsening, or unexplained, see a licensed provider.