Outer Hip Pain: Causes and Exercises That Help

Outer hip pain is an ache on the side of your hip, usually over the bony point at the top of your thigh. It most often comes from irritated glute tendons or a bursa, not the hip joint itself. Gentle strength work, fewer hip-hanging habits and a pillow between your knees at night help most women.

As a NASM corrective exercise specialist with more than 20 years of coaching behind me, I hear about this side-of-the-hip ache more than almost any other hip complaint from women I work with, especially once they pass 40.

The encouraging part is that outer hip pain usually responds well to the right kind of exercise and a few daily changes. Below you will find the common causes, six moves to start with, what to pause for now, and the signs that mean you should get checked.

Where Outer Hip Pain Shows Up

Press the side of your hip and you will find a bony bump about a hand’s width below your waistband. That is the greater trochanter, the outer knob at the top of your thigh bone. Most outer hip pain sits right over it or just behind it.

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It often feels like a dull ache that turns sharp when you press on it, lie on that side, climb stairs or stand up after sitting. Some women feel it spread down the outside of the thigh toward the knee, but it rarely goes below the knee.

Pain in the groin or the front of the hip is a different story. That pattern points more toward the hip joint itself, which my guide to the best exercises for hip osteoarthritis covers in detail.

Common Causes of Pain on the Side of Your Hip

Doctors often group side hip pain under one umbrella called greater trochanteric pain syndrome, or GTPS. It simply means pain around that outer bony point. These are the usual reasons behind it.

Glute Tendon Irritation

Two of your glute muscles, the gluteus medius and minimus, attach to that outer knob by tendons. When those tendons are overloaded or squeezed, they get sore. This is called gluteal tendinopathy, and it is the most common cause of outer hip pain in women over 40.

Hip Bursitis

A bursa is a small fluid-filled cushion that helps tissues glide. The one on the outside of the hip can get irritated, often alongside a cranky tendon. My hip bursitis exercises guide walks through what to do and what to skip.

Weak Hip Muscles

When the side glutes are weak, your pelvis dips each time you stand on one leg. That puts more squeeze and strain on the tendons with every step.

Compression Habits

Crossing your legs, standing with your weight hanging on one hip, or sleeping on the sore side all press the tendons against the bone. Done for hours a day, these habits can keep the area irritated.

A Sudden Jump in Activity

A new walking goal, extra hill work, more stairs or a long hike often comes right before outer hip pain starts. Tendons like gradual change.

Pain Coming from Somewhere Else

The low back and the deep glute muscles can send pain to the side of the hip. If your ache sits deeper in the buttock, my guide to glute pain may fit you better.

The IT Band and Outer Hip Pain

Many women blame the IT band, the thick strip of tissue that runs down the outside of the thigh. It does cross the outer hip, and a tight feeling there is common.

But the IT band is not a muscle you can lengthen much. Deep IT band stretches pull the band tighter against the very spot that hurts. If your outer hip is irritated, it is usually smarter to pause those stretches and focus on strength instead.

If your IT band symptoms are more at the knee, my IT band knee pain exercises are a better match.

6 Lateral Hip Pain Exercises to Start With

These lateral hip pain exercises build strength without squeezing the sore tendons. Aim for a 3 out of 10 discomfort level at most during each move, and pain that settles within 24 hours. If it is worse the next morning, make the next session easier.

1. Standing Wall Press

Stand side-on to a wall with your sore side away from it. Bend the knee closest to the wall and press that thigh gently into the wall. You will feel the standing hip work. Hold 30 to 45 seconds, rest, and repeat 4 or 5 times.

This is a static hold, also called an isometric, and it often eases pain within a few minutes. It is my first pick for sore days.

2. Glute Bridge

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from knees to shoulders. Pause for 2 seconds, then lower slowly. Do 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 12.

Keep your knees in line with your feet. Once these feel easy, my glute bridge variations give you ways to progress.

3. Sit to Stand

Sit near the edge of a sturdy chair, feet flat and hip-width apart. Lean forward slightly and stand up without using your hands, then sit back down slowly. Do 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 10.

Keep your knees from drifting in toward each other. If standing hurts, use a higher seat or a cushion to start.

4. Supported Side Step

Stand tall with a hand on a counter. Take a small, slow step to the side, bring the other foot to meet it, then step back. Do 10 steps each way for 2 or 3 rounds.

Keep your hips level and your toes pointing forward. Small, controlled steps work better here than big ones.

5. Supported Single Leg Stand

Stand next to a counter with fingertips resting on it. Lift one foot slightly and stand on the other leg, keeping your pelvis level and your knee soft. Hold 20 to 30 seconds per side, 3 rounds.

This trains the side glutes to hold your pelvis steady, which is exactly the job you need them to do when you walk.

6. Bodyweight Box Squat

Stand in front of a chair with feet hip-width apart. Push your hips back and lower until you lightly touch the seat, then stand up. Do 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 10.

This builds the big glute muscles that share the load with the smaller side glutes.

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What to Pause for Now

When outer hip pain is flared, a few common moves tend to make it worse. Pause these for a few weeks, then reintroduce them slowly once you have built some strength.

The hip flexor stretches are a good choice when you still want to feel loose, because they work the front of the hip without squeezing the side.

Outer Hip Pain Stretches: A Word of Caution

Searching for outer hip pain stretches is a natural first move. Stretching feels like it should help a tight, achy area. But current evidence suggests that for most outer hip pain, strengthening and managing load work better than stretching the outer hip.

A gentle, short stretch that feels good and leaves no ache afterward is fine. Deep, long holds that pull the leg across your body are the ones to skip for now. The same goes for intense hip-opening yoga.

If you enjoy yoga, my yoga poses for hips include softer options, just leave out any pose that crosses the sore leg.

Daily Habits That Calm the Outer Hip

Exercise is only part of the plan. These small changes reduce the squeeze on the tendons all day long.

• Sit with both feet on the floor and your knees about hip-width apart instead of crossing your legs.
• Stand with your weight even on both feet rather than hanging on one hip.
• Choose a seat where your hips sit a little higher than your knees.
• Sleep on your back or on the other side with a pillow between your knees.
• Break up long walks or hikes into shorter ones for a few weeks, and limit steep hills and stairs.
• Use the handrail on stairs and lead up with the less sore leg.

When to See a Doctor or Physical Therapist

Most outer hip pain is not dangerous, but some signs need a professional look before you exercise. See a doctor or physical therapist if you notice:

• Numbness or tingling in your leg or foot
• Weakness in your leg, or your leg giving way
• Pain that started after a fall, especially if you can’t put weight on it
• Fever with hip pain, or a hip that is hot, red and swollen
• Pain that wakes you at night no matter how you lie
• Loss of bladder or bowel control, which needs emergency care
• No improvement after 2 to 3 weeks of gentle care

A physical therapist can confirm whether the problem is a tendon, a bursa, the hip joint or your low back, and adjust the plan to fit. Talk to your doctor about treatment options if exercise alone is not enough.

Your This-Week Plan

1. Every day: Stop crossing your legs and sleep with a pillow between your knees.
2. Days 1 to 3: Do the standing wall press 4 or 5 times, once or twice a day.
3. Days 4 to 5: Add glute bridges and sit to stand, 2 sets each.
4. Days 6 to 7: Add the supported single leg stand and side steps, and keep walks short and flat.

Quick Questions

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

The Bottom Line

Outer hip pain usually comes from irritated glute tendons or a bursa, and it tends to respond to gentle strength work rather than deep stretching. Start with the wall press, add bridges and sit to stand, and stop the habits that squeeze the side of your hip.

Give it steady effort for several weeks before judging the results. And if you notice numbness, weakness, fever or pain after a fall, 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 hip surgery, and follow your surgeon’s plan after any operation. Get medical help promptly for numbness or tingling, leg weakness, pain after a fall, fever with joint pain or a hot swollen hip, pain that wakes you at night, or any loss of bladder or bowel control.