Hip Osteoarthritis Exercises: 10 Moves to Ease Hip Pain (and What to Avoid)

Does getting out of a chair feel harder than it used to? Maybe your hip aches after a walk, or stiffens the moment you sit too long. If that sounds familiar, the right hip osteoarthritis exercises can help you move more and hurt less, without making things worse.

Below you’ll find 10 simple exercises with step-by-step instructions, the moves to avoid, and how to build a routine that sticks.

Jump to a sectionIn this article10 sections

1. What Is Osteoarthritis of the Hip?
2. Why Exercise Helps Hip Osteoarthritis Pain
3. 10 Hip Osteoarthritis Exercises You Can Do at Home
4. A Simple Weekly Hip Exercise Program
5. Exercises to Avoid With Hip Osteoarthritis
6. How to Exercise Safely With Hip Pain
7. Beyond Exercise: Other Ways to Ease Hip Arthritis
8. Quick Questions
9. Move More, Hurt Less
10. Keep Going: Your Next Step

What Is Osteoarthritis of the Hip?

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. In osteoarthritis of the hip, the smooth cartilage that lets the ball and socket glide slowly thins. The result is stiffness, aching, and less range of motion.

Hip osteoarthritis pain is often felt in the groin, outer hip, buttock, or down the front of the thigh, sometimes all the way to the knee. Mornings are stiff. Long sitting locks things up. A long walk can leave you sore for the rest of the day.

Why Exercise Helps Hip Osteoarthritis Pain

It seems backward to exercise a joint that hurts. But guidelines from arthritis and orthopedic organizations agree: exercise is one of the most effective ways to reduce pain and improve function in hip and knee arthritis.

• Stronger muscles around the hip absorb load the joint would otherwise carry.
• Movement nourishes cartilage. Joint fluid moves in and out as you load and unload the joint.
• Range of motion is kept, so everyday tasks like putting on socks stay easier.
• Weight control lowers the force on your hips with every step.

Rest feels good in the moment. Too much of it lets muscles weaken and stiffness grow.

10 Hip Osteoarthritis Exercises You Can Do at Home

Start with 5 to 8 slow reps of each strength move and hold stretches for 20 to 30 seconds. Move in a pain-free or mildly uncomfortable range. Do the affected leg and the other side.

Range-of-Motion and Stretching Exercises

1. Knee-to-chest stretch. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Gently pull one knee toward your chest with both hands until you feel a stretch in your buttock and lower back. Hold, then lower your leg and switch sides.

2. Hip rotation (knee rocks). Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet together. Let both knees fall slowly to one side, keep your shoulders flat, then return to the start position and repeat on the other side.

3. Hip flexor stretch. Kneel on a cushion with one knee down and the other foot flat on the floor in front. Keep your back straight and shift your weight forward until you feel a gentle stretch at the front of the hip. Hold this position, then switch. Too hard on your knees? Do it standing, holding a chair.

4. Seated hamstring stretch. Sit on the edge of a chair with one leg straight, heel on the floor. Sit tall and lean forward from the hips until you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh.

Strengthening Exercises for the Hip and Thigh

5. Bridges. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Squeeze your buttocks and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Pause, then slowly lower.

6. Side-lying leg raise. Lie on your side with the bottom knee bent for balance and the top leg straight. Keep your toes pointing forward and lift your leg about 12 inches, then slowly lower. This targets the glute medius, the muscle that keeps your pelvis level when you walk.

7. Clamshells. Lie on your side with your knees bent and feet together. Keeping your feet touching, lift the top knee like a clam opening, then lower slowly. Add a light band around the thighs when it gets easy.

8. Straight leg raise. Lie on your back with one knee bent and the other leg straight. Tighten the thigh of the straight leg and lift your leg to the height of the bent knee. Slowly lower and repeat.

9. Sit-to-stand. Sit on a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor. Lean slightly forward and stand up without using your hands if you can, then slowly sit back down. Use a higher chair or your hands to start. This is one of the most useful hip exercises for daily life.

10. Standing hip abduction. In a standing position, hold a counter for balance. Keeping your knees straight and your back tall, lift one leg out to the side, then lower. Don’t lean your body the other way.

Low-Impact Cardio for Hip Arthritis

• Walking on flat, even ground. Start with 10 minutes and build up.
• Stationary cycling with the seat high enough that your hip doesn’t bend sharply.
• Swimming or water walking. Water takes weight off the joint, a good starting point if your hip is very sore.
• Tai chi. Slow, flowing movement that builds balance and leg strength. See my guide to tai chi for arthritis.

A Simple Weekly Hip Exercise Program

Type	How Often	Examples
Range of motion	Daily, 5 to 10 min	Knee-to-chest, knee rocks, hip flexor stretch
Strength	2 to 3 days a week	Bridges, clamshells, sit-to-stand
Low-impact cardio	Most days, 20 to 30 min	Walking, cycling, pool

Add one or two reps a week as you get stronger. If you’re working with a physical therapist on rehabilitation after a flare or surgery, follow their plan first. Some therapists also use electrical pain relief like TENS alongside exercise.

Exercises to Avoid With Hip Osteoarthritis

✅ Hip-Friendly Choices	❌ Avoid or Modify
Walking on flat ground	Running on hard pavement
Swimming, water aerobics	Jumping and high-impact classes
Cycling at low resistance	Deep, heavy squats and lunges
Tai chi, gentle yoga	Twisting or pivoting on one leg
Controlled bodyweight moves	Forcing deep hip stretches

This isn’t a forever list. Many moves on the right can be modified as you get stronger. A physical therapist can show you how.

How to Exercise Safely With Hip Pain

• Warm up with 3 to 5 minutes of easy marching or walking.
• Use the pain rule. Mild discomfort (up to about 3 out of 10) that settles within 24 hours is fine. Sharp pain or pain that’s worse the next day means do less.
• Move slowly and with control. Quality reps beat fast ones.
• Be consistent. Results from exercises for osteoarthritis usually show up after 6 to 12 weeks.

Before you start, check in with your doctor or a physical therapist, especially if your pain is new, severe, or getting worse. They can rule out other causes of hip pain and tailor exercises to you.

Beyond Exercise: Other Ways to Ease Hip Arthritis

Exercise works best as part of a bigger plan. Managing your weight lowers load on the hip joint. An anti-inflammatory way of eating can help, which I cover in my osteoarthritis diet guide. Supportive shoes, a cane in the opposite hand on bad days, and good sleep all help too.

If your knees are also a problem, my guide to exercises for knee osteoarthritis pairs well with this routine.

Hips stiff in the morning or achy after sitting? Join my free 5-Day Hip Reset for Women: one short email a day with a simple hip self-check, gentle mobility, the hip hinge, side-hip support for easier walking and a 10-minute daily routine. At home with a chair, a towel, a wall and a broom handle. If you have a recent injury or surgery, a hip replacement, or pain spreading down your leg with numbness or weakness, check with your doctor or a physical therapist first.

Quick Questions

Move More, Hurt Less

A hip with osteoarthritis isn’t a hip that needs to sit still. The right exercises can help you feel stronger, looser, and more in control, one short session at a time.

You don’t need fancy equipment or a gym. Pick three moves from this list, do them most days, and add a little each week. Your hip will notice.

This article is for general education and isn’t a substitute for personal medical advice. Hip pain has many causes, and exercise needs differ from person to person.

Please talk with your doctor or a physical therapist before starting a new exercise program, especially if your pain is severe, new, or getting worse, or if you’ve had hip surgery.

Keep Going: Your Next Step

Joint-friendly training is a whole category, not one article. My hip and lower body pain guide brings it all together. If pain or fatigue shapes your workouts, try the best low-impact workouts for joint pain and chronic fatigue, then build a base safely with how to start strength training after 35 without getting hurt.

Extra body weight multiplies load on the hip with every step, so if that’s part of your picture, my honest weight loss guide is the gentlest place to start.