Hip Bursitis Exercises: What to Do and What to Skip

Hip bursitis exercises work best when they build strength in the outer hip without squeezing the sore spot. Start with gentle isometrics, like pressing your knees out against your hands while seated for 30 seconds, 5 times, then add bridges and standing leg lifts. Pause deep outer hip stretches for now.

I’m a NASM certified trainer and corrective exercise specialist, and outer hip pain that makes it hard to lie on one side is something I hear about from women I coach all the time. The approach that helps most often surprises people, because it is not more stretching.

Below you’ll find what hip bursitis usually is, the daily habits that keep it irritated, a step-by-step exercise plan from very gentle to stronger, the moves to skip for now, and the signs that mean you should see a doctor.

What Hip Bursitis Really Is

A bursa is a small, fluid-filled cushion that helps tissues glide over bone. The one people usually mean by hip bursitis sits over the bony point on the side of your hip, called the greater trochanter.

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Here is the part many people never hear. When doctors look closely at outer hip pain, the bursa is often only part of the story. The tendons of the gluteus medius and minimus, the muscles on the side of your hip, are frequently irritated too. Many clinicians now call the whole picture greater trochanteric pain syndrome.

That matters for exercise. Tendons and the tissues around them usually calm down with gradual, well-dosed loading, and they get more irritated when they are squashed against the bone. That is why the plan below focuses on strength and on avoiding positions that press the outer hip.

Common signs include tenderness when you press on the side of your hip, pain lying on that side, and an ache climbing stairs, getting out of the car or standing on one leg. It is often more common in women over 40.

Daily Habits That Keep the Outer Hip Sore

Before any exercise, look at the positions you spend hours in. These small habits often matter as much as the workout.

1. Crossing your legs. Sitting with one knee crossed over the other pulls the outer hip tendons tight against the bone. Keep both feet on the floor.
2. Hanging on one hip. Standing with your weight shifted to one side and that hip pushed out compresses the sore area. Stand evenly on both feet.
3. Sleeping on the sore side. Sleep on your back or the other side with a pillow between your knees so the top leg stays level.
4. Low, soft seats. Sinking into a deep couch puts your hips below your knees. Choose a firmer seat or sit on a folded blanket.
5. Sudden jumps in activity. A big increase in walking, hills or stairs often sets it off. Build up gradually instead.

Hip Bursitis Exercises at Home: Stage 1 Isometrics

Isometric exercises mean you tighten a muscle and hold it without moving the joint. They often ease tendon pain and are a gentle way to start. Do these once or twice a day, keeping pain at 3 out of 10 or less.

1. Seated Knee Press Out

Sit tall in a sturdy chair with feet flat and knees hip width apart. Place your hands on the outsides of your knees. Gently push your knees outward into your hands, matching the pressure so nothing moves. Hold 30 to 45 seconds. Do 5 reps.

Start at about half effort. This is one of the best hip bursitis exercises while sitting, because you can do it at a desk or table.

2. Standing Wall Press

Stand side-on to a wall with your sore side away from it. Bend the knee nearest the wall and lift that foot slightly so your bent knee presses into the wall at hip height, using a folded towel for comfort. Keep your pelvis level and stand tall on the sore side. Hold 30 seconds. Do 5 reps.

This trains the standing leg’s outer hip to hold you steady, which is exactly what it needs to do when you walk.

3. Glute Squeeze

Lie on your back or sit tall. Squeeze both buttocks firmly together and hold 10 seconds, then relax. Do 10 reps. It is simple, but it wakes up the big glute muscles that share the load with the outer hip.

How Much Pain Is OK During Exercise

Tendons usually like a little load, so a small amount of discomfort is often fine. Use a 0 to 10 scale, where 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst you can imagine.

During exercise, aim to stay at 3 or below. The real test is the next morning. If your hip feels the same or better, you are on track. If it feels clearly worse, or lying on it is harder than before, cut the reps or hold time in half for a few days.

Stage 2 Strengthening Moves

When the isometrics feel easy and your hip no longer hurts the next morning, usually after one to two weeks, add these 3 days a week. Do 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.

4. Glute Bridge

Lie on your back with knees bent, feet hip width apart, and a pillow between your knees if that feels better. Press through your heels and lift your hips into a straight line. Pause 2 seconds and lower slowly.

5. Sit to Stand

Sit near the front of a firm chair with feet flat. Lean forward slightly and stand up without using your hands if you can, then sit back down slowly. Keep your knees in line with your toes.

6. Standing Side Leg Lift

Hold a counter for balance. Keeping your toes pointing forward and your body upright, lift one leg out to the side a few inches and lower it slowly. Do both sides. Small and controlled beats high and fast.

7. Step Ups

Use the bottom stair and a rail. Step up with the sore side, keep your pelvis level and your knee over your foot, then step down slowly. Start with a low step and add height only when it feels easy.

For more moves and a longer plan, my hip strengthening exercises guide walks through a full progression.

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Hip Bursitis Exercises with Bands

Once the stage 2 moves feel solid, a light loop band above your knees adds challenge. Try banded bridges, banded sit to stand and small side steps along the counter, 2 sets of 10.

Pick a light band so you can keep your knees in line and your hips level. If the band makes the side of your hip ache afterward, go back to the moves without it for another week.

Hip Bursitis Exercises for Seniors

Almost everything above works from a chair or with a counter for support. The seated knee press, glute squeeze and sit to stand are a great core routine on their own. Use a higher chair for sit to stand if needed, and rest as long as you like between sets.

If getting on the floor is hard, do bridges on a firm bed instead. Slow and steady progress is the goal at any age.

Which Hip Bursitis Exercise to Start With

What to Skip: Stretching Caution

This is where many well-meaning routines go wrong. Deep stretches that pull the leg across your body, like the IT band stretch, cross-legged figure four or a deep pigeon, press the sore tendons straight into the bone. They may feel like a good pull in the moment and ache more later.

While the outer hip is irritated, pause these stretches, along with side-lying leg lifts that press the sore side into the floor, and deep foam rolling on the side of the hip.

If tightness in the back of the hip is a problem, gentle piriformis stretches that do not pull across your body are a softer choice. Add any deep stretches back only once the pain has settled.

Your low back and SI joint can refer pain toward the hip too. If the ache sits higher and closer to your spine, my SI joint pain exercises may be a better fit.

When to See a Doctor or Physical Therapist

Outer hip pain often settles with patient, steady care. But some symptoms point to something exercise cannot fix. See a doctor or physical therapist if you notice:

• Fever or chills with hip pain, or a hip that is hot, red and swollen
• Pain that started after a fall or an accident
• Numbness, tingling or weakness in your leg or foot
• Pain in the groin or deep in the joint that makes walking hard
• Pain that wakes you at night, no matter how you lie
• Loss of bladder or bowel control, which needs emergency care
• Pain that is no better after 2 to 3 weeks of gentle care

Groin pain and stiffness putting on socks can point to the hip joint itself. My guide to the best exercises for hip osteoarthritis covers that side. Talk to your doctor about treatment options if exercise alone is not enough.

Your This-Week Plan

1. Every day: Keep both feet on the floor when you sit, stand evenly, and sleep with a pillow between your knees.
2. Days 1 to 7: Do the seated knee press out and glute squeezes once or twice a day.
3. Days 3, 5 and 7: Add the standing wall press, 5 holds per side.
4. Days 1 to 7: Swap long walks or hills for shorter, flat walks if they flare the hip.

Quick Questions

This guide is part of my hip and lower body pain guide, where you’ll find help for SI joint pain, piriformis tightness, outer hip pain and glute pain, plus honest advice on when to see a doctor.

The Bottom Line

Hip bursitis exercises work best when they build strength slowly and stop squeezing the sore spot. Start with isometrics, add bridges, sit to stand and step ups, and give it a few months, not a few days.

Change the daily habits too: uncross your legs, stand evenly and sleep with a pillow between your knees. And if you have fever, a hot swollen hip, pain after a fall or leg numbness, get checked before you exercise.

This article is for general education and isn’t medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a physical therapist before starting if you have ongoing hip pain, a recent injury or surgery. Get medical help promptly for fever with joint pain, a hot or swollen hip, pain after a fall, numbness or leg weakness, pain that wakes you at night, or any loss of bladder or bowel control.