Why Your Hip Pain Keeps Bouncing Around (and How to Fix It)
You've got hip pain. Sometimes it’s your SI joint. Other times it’s your groin, outer hip, inner thigh, or lower back. You’ve tried foam rolling, stretching, strength work—maybe even acupuncture. But it’s still there. Why?
This blog (and video above) will explain the real reason you haven’t found relief yet—and share two big strategies that can finally get you on track. If your hip pain moves around and nothing seems to work, this is for you.
The Big Mistake You're Making
You're assuming there’s a simple one-to-one relationship between one muscle and your pain. But your hip joint is surrounded by 23 different muscles. That doesn’t even count your spine, core, or surrounding structures.
It’s like a dysfunctional office. One guy screws up a report, three coworkers panic, someone schedules a team retreat, and Steve from HR starts crying. Welcome to your hips.
So What's the Fix?
It starts by addressing two things:
- The muscle (or muscles) that hurts
- The muscle (or muscles) that does the opposite action
Examples (see video for detailed visuals)
Got groin pain? Gently stretch the inner thighs, then activate the outer hip (glute med, glute max).
Hip flexor pain? Try a hip flexor or quad stretch, but also add contractions to build strength in those lengthened positions. Then activate your glutes.
For pain anywhere, make sure you're exploring different ranges, positions, and muscles. Even your spine and shoulder muscles can influence pelvis and hip mechanics.
The goal: balance the forces around the joint. Stretch + Strength = Long-term results.
But What If Stretching Makes It Worse?
If you’re flexible and still feel tight, it’s likely that the “tight” feeling is really just weakness in disguise. That’s super common for dancers, yogis, and bendy folks.
So try this: Instead of just stretching, strengthen the tight area. Hip flexors, core, even your obliques. Yes, even your lats can impact your hips thanks to their connection down into the pelvis.
Don't Ignore Lifestyle Factors
If you sit all day, resting more won’t help. Rest = more sitting = more weakness = more pain.
On the other hand, if you’re super active, your favorite sport might be tightening you up. You may need to do less of what you love (temporarily) and more of what your hips actually need—like activating weak muscles and building control.
Your Bonus Strategy: Embrace the Long Game
You can’t fix 10+ years of bad movement patterns in two days. It might take months. Maybe even years. Consistency beats intensity.
80–90% consistency is great. And even when life happens and you drop to 0% some weeks, just keep returning to the path.
When you stop doing what helps your hips, the pain will come back. That doesn’t mean you’re broken. It just means you’ve got to keep showing up.
Time to Start Your Hero's Journey with Hip Pain
Stretch. Strengthen. Fall into lava. Respawn. Get stronger. Repeat. 🎮
If you want a proven roadmap to follow, check out the Healthy Hips program. It’s built to help you finally make progress with your hip pain.
