What are the first signs of hip problems?

The first signs of hip problems may start with a slight pain in the hip joint, usually after sitting for extended hours at your desk. The pain may be acute or become chronic over time. You will need to find potential causes of the pain becoming long-lasting. Some common symptoms of hip problems are joint pain, groin pain, swelling and tenderness in the hip, heat in the hip area, difficulty lying on your back, and loss of hip movement. Also, sometimes knee pain can be the only sign of a hip problem, referred to as radiating pain.

How do I know if my hip pain is severe?

You can treat hip pain at home, but if you see any of the conditions below, you should seek professional help.

• Your hip joint looks deformed
• Difficulty putting weight on your leg
• Difficulty moving your leg or hip
• Feeling intense pain in the hip area
• Sudden swelling in the hip area
• Pain in several joints
• Hip pain even after treatment at home
• Pain from a fall or other injury
• Noticing symptoms of infection such as fever, chills, or rash

 

What causes hip pain?

The pain you feel when you get up could be weakened hip muscles. Sitting at your desk and keeping your knees bent shortens and relaxes your hamstrings and keeps your hip flexors at maximum shortened length. Prolonged hours of sitting reduce your muscle strength. Therefore, when you get up from your sitting position, you may feel weaker in your glutes. You may also feel pain from your poor sitting position.

According to Dr. Leon Reyfman, M.D. (ASIPP member), hip pain causes many causes. Here are the main ones.

• Injuries
• Pinched nerves
• Arthritis
• Chronic diseases, such as osteoporosis
• Cancer

How are hip problems diagnosed?

Medical professionals diagnose hip problems. They will do a physical examination and may want to look at your medical history of hip problems. They will test your range of motion by doing an internal and external hip rotation. They may also ask you to walk around and watch your movements to understand the problem better. The medical technician will also look for any inflammation or deformity of the hip. One may palpate the swollen hips to understand the intensity of tenderness in that area. Health care professionals may want to study images such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs to understand hip problems better. If necessary, one may ask you to have a blood test, urine test, or joint fluid sample.

The different types of hip pain

Inner hip pain

This type of hip pain is felt inside the hip area with the hip joint itself, rather than problems with the surrounding muscles or other delicate tissues.

Pain on the outside of the hip

This pain is the outer part and pain felt outside the hip. The upper thigh frequently results from problems with the hip’s ligaments, tendons, or muscles. It is a problem with the hip joint, as opposed to issues with the surrounding muscles or other soft tissues.

Sitting positions for hip pain

How should I sit to reduce or prevent hip pain?

Choose an ergonomic chair if you have hip or back pain. Sit with your feet and pelvis in line and your spine straight. Sitting in this posture will reduce your hip pain. Pay attention to the ergonomics of the workplace by positioning your chair, keyboard, and monitor correctly. Also, avoid sitting cross-legged or leaning to one side for long periods.

Consider taking frequent breaks and walking around your office. This will help you lose stiff muscles in your hips and legs.

Try doing hip stretches once or twice daily while sitting at your desk.

 

Can a standing desk help my hip pain?

A standing desk may be a solution to relieve your hip pain. Experts suggest avoiding static standing postures and moving throughout the day to improve hip and back pain. You can also rest your foot on a small stool for a while, then alternate between the two legs. This ensures that you change your posture from time to time. A standing desk can also increase your productivity at work.

You should also wear comfortable shoes when you plan to do your work standing at your desk. Try not to wear heels and change the insoles of your shoes as often as necessary. Going to work in comfortable shoes would surely improve your hip pain.

 

How do you sit in a chair when your hips hurt?

It’s essential to make sure your pelvis and feet are correctly aligned. You should also keep your spine straight when you sit.

Doctors also suggest not sitting cross-legged for long periods. Avoid leaning to one side to give your hip good balance.

 

What type of chair is suitable for preventing hip pain?

Experts suggest choosing an ergonomic chair if you have hip pain or injury. These chairs are highly adjustable and can accommodate the unique curves of your body.
Doctors also prescribe a hip chair to improve the stiffness in your hips. A hip chair has large legs that help keep your hip angle open and facilitate movement. Be sure to perch on the edge of the chair when sitting in a hip chair.

Also, saddle seats are better than flat seats because they help relieve pressure on the cartilage in the hip joint and improve blood flow around your hips.

In addition, you can add an orthopedic cushion to your regular chair if you’re not ready to replace your desk chair. This cushion will push your pelvis in the right direction and give your hips the support they need.

 

Stretches for hip pain

How do you stretch your hips at the office?

If you work for a long time sitting at your desk, you can do some stretches to help relieve hip flexor stiffness and lose tight hamstrings. In this article, we’ll give you three stretches you can ideally do while sitting at your desk. These simple stretching techniques will help you lose tight hips and ease lower back pain.

What types of stretches help relieve hip pain?

There are other stretches you can do to relieve hip pain. We’re giving you the top five stretches you can do at home to lose your hip flexors. Be sure to incorporate these stretches into your daily activities for the best results.

• Standing stretch for hip pain
• Kneeling stretch for hip pain
• Active stretching
• Lying down stretching for hip pain

Exercises for hip pain

What exercises can help the hips when rising from a sitting position?

People with difficulty getting up from a sitting position can try mobility exercises to help with movement. These exercises will help eliminate stiffness in the hips. They are beneficial for older people because they often have difficulty getting up from a sitting position. And the best part is that you only need one piece of equipment to do this simple and basic exercise.

Grab a sturdy chair and get ready to strengthen your glutes, back, legs and core.

Sit-to-stand exercise

Take this basic exercise a step further by grabbing a pillow.

Place the pillow under your feet and perform the basic sit-to-stand exercise. The pillow will help you improve your balance when you stand up. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

Now you are ready to make this exercise even more challenging by adding a ball to your movement.

Take a soccer ball and, instead of crossing your arms, hold the ball with both hands at chest level. Stretch out your hands as you do the sit-up exercise. Stretching your hands will make the exercise more difficult than keeping your arms on your chest. Repeat this exercise 10 times.

All-day sitting Problems

What happens to your body when you sit all day?

Sitting all day can have many negative effects on your body that you don’t even realize. It can make your glutes and legs weaker. Sitting all day means you don’t use them as often as you should. This causes your muscles to atrophy. Sitting all day can also lead to tight hips and a bad back. Gaining weight is another side effect of sitting all day. Studies show that you lose more calories standing than sitting. Plus, most of the fat you gain is stored around your stomach.

In addition to your physical health, your mental health can also deteriorate because of the long hours of sitting. You can develop anxiety and depression if you sit for long hours regularly. Sitting all day also increases your risk for cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. It also increases the risk of erectile dysfunction in men. Varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis are significant complications associated with prolonged sitting.

Is it bad to sit at a desk all day?

Sitting at your desk all day, you are not using your legs and glutes as you should. These muscles are at rest for most of the day. The less you use these muscles, the weaker they become. Human bodies are designed to perform different activities. A sedentary lifestyle will not allow you to do the various activities that your health and mind need to function fully.

Why are my hips stiff after sitting?

Stiff hips can be caused by keeping your hips and legs in the same posture for long hours. Sitting in the same posture for long hours leads to tighter, deactivated muscles. The muscles can gradually shorten and cause adaptive shortening. As a result, you feel pain in your glutes when sitting for a long time.