You wake up every morning, and your first steps are dogged by hip pain. After you move around a little, the pain subsides, but it returns later after you’ve been sitting at your desk for a while. If this scenario sounds all too familiar, you could be dealing with overly tight hip muscles. Here are two hip muscle stretches that can be a treatment option for your pain: 

Hip flexor stretch

The hip flexors are a group of muscles that are attached to the front of your thigh bone, and they help you bend your leg at the hip joint. They’re also used when you’re bending over at the waist, walking, and doing other leg-related activities.

However, if you’re using these muscles too much, they can become tight and painful. One treatment option for tightness and pain in these hip muscles is the hip flexor stretch. 

To begin the hip flexor stretch, get into a lunge position with your right leg bent at a 90-degree angle and your left knee on the floor.

From this starting position, rock your pelvis and lower torso forward until you feel a stretch in your left hip flexors. Make sure your right foot stays on the floor throughout the movement. 

Once you feel the stretch, hold it for about 10 seconds and then return to the start position. Repeat these steps without switching legs until you’ve reached three repetitions. You should be able to deepen the stretch a little more each time. After three reps, switch the positions of your legs and repeat the steps to stretch the hip flexors in the right leg. 

Butterfly stretch

The butterfly stretch is another treatment option for tension-based hip muscle pain. This stretch is designed to stretch the muscles on the inside of your thigh, but it also stretches muscles in your hip and lower back. 

To get into the starting position for this stretch, you’ll need to sit down on the floor. You may want to sit on a yoga mat if sitting directly on the floor is uncomfortable. Keep your torso straight and place the soles of your feet together so that your legs form a diamond shape. Your knees should rise into the air slightly, and they’ll get higher the closer you bring your feet toward your body. 

Schedule Your Appointment with Health Plus Physical Therapy

At Health Plus PT, our Hip Pain Relief program is dedicated to helping patients reduce discomfort and improve mobility through safe, effective stretches and targeted treatments. Reducing hip muscle pain requires a patient-centered approach, and our specialized therapy is designed to relieve tension, strengthen supporting muscles, and restore function using evidence-based techniques, personalized exercise plans, and advanced treatment methods.