Exercises for Outer Hip Pain

Pain at the top of the thigh or on the outer side of the hip is a common issue. The muscles in this area play a vital role in supporting your body weight – especially when standing on one leg – and need to be strong and resilient. However, they can weaken quickly during periods of reduced activity.

While walking and running are excellent for maintaining hip strength, returning to these activities too quickly can overload the muscles and tendons, leading to pain during walking, sitting, or even sleeping.

That’s why targeted exercises for the outer hip are often essential to restore strength and support healing. The exercises demonstrated below have been carefully selected and are frequently prescribed for hip pain with consistently positive results.

1. Clam shell exercise

Lie on your side on a firm surface. Place your knees at 90 degrees and the hip at 45degrees while keeping your feet together. Raise your top knee off the bottom knee while keeping your feet together like a hinge. Go as far as your hip allows without twisting your back. Hold for 1 second then lower you top knee back towards your bottom knee and repeat. 10-15 repetitions with 3 sets on each leg is a good start and should create some mild muscle soreness. Perform daily over a few weeks increasing the repetitions by 1-2 each day. To increase the resistance, elastic band can be used around the knees or a small dumbbell can rest on the knee.

2. Side bridge exercise

Lie on your side with your knees at 90 degrees, your hips extended and the upper body resting on your forearm. Lift your hip off the ground and hold in that position. Try to create a straight line from your shoulder to your knee. Hold the position starting with 5 seconds and resting 5 seconds for 5 repetitions on each side. Increase each hold by 1 second each day up to 30 seconds over a few weeks.

3. Single leg glute bridge

Lie on your back on a firm surface and lifting your knees up until your feet are flat on the ground. Push your feet into the ground and raise your hips off the ground. Use your arms to stabilise your body and lifting one foot off the ground extend one leg and hold that position for 10 seconds. Then place that leg down and extend the other leg for 10 seconds. Lower the hips and rest for 20 seconds then repeat another 3 times for a total of 4 sets of 10 seconds on each leg.