Hip Pain While Sitting? Here’s Why It Happens & How to Fix It

Ever find yourself shifting around in your seat, desperately trying to get comfortable, only to realize that your hips are staging a full on protest, screaming at you to give them a break? Hip pain while sitting is more common than you think especially if you work a 9-5 job. Whether you’re working at a desk, driving long hours, or just binging your favorite show, hip pain can have a huge impact on your daily life. The good news? There are solutions on how to fix pain and steps you can take to prevent it altogether. Let’s break down why hip pain while sitting happens and, more importantly, how to fix it.

Why Does Hip Pain Happen When Sitting?

There are several reasons your hips might be screaming at you after a long sit session. Here are some common culprits:

1. Tight Hip Flexors – Sitting for long periods keeps your hip flexors in a shortened position, leading to tightness, discomfort, and an all-familiar pain after a long day.

2. Weak Glutes & Core – A weak core and underactive backside can cause poor posture and misalignment, putting extra stress on your hips as they have to overcompensate for the weakened areas.

3. Poor Posture – Slouching or sitting with uneven weight distribution can lead to muscle imbalances and hip pain.

4. Sciatic Nerve Irritation – Sitting too long can put pressure on your sciatic nerve, causing pain that radiates from your hips down your leg or even a feeling of pain in your lower back.

5. Joint Issues & Arthritis – Conditions like hip osteoarthritis or labral tears can make prolonged sitting especially uncomfortable.

6. Poor Circulation – Sitting for long hours can reduce blood flow, leading to stiffness and discomfort from lack of circulation.

7. Muscle Imbalances – Overuse of certain muscles and underuse of others can create tension and strain in your hips. Not to call anyone out, but if you are skipping leg day or skipping upper body days, this may be the culprit! 

Hip Pain vs. Lower Back Pain: How to Tell the Difference

It can be tricky to distinguish between hip pain and lower back pain since both can cause a pain that radiates and overlaps. Here are some key differences:

• Location of Pain: Hip pain is typically felt in the front of the hip, the groin area, or the outer hip. Lower back pain is more centralized in the lower spine and can extend down the legs.

• Pain with Movement: Hip pain often worsens with hip flexion (like bringing your knee to your chest) or prolonged sitting. Lower back pain tends to flare up with bending, twisting, or standing for long periods.

• Shooting Pain: If the pain shoots down your leg or becomes so intense that it causes numbness, it could be sciatica originating from the lower back rather than the hip.

• Testing the Source: Try lying flat and bending your knee towards your chest. If this triggers discomfort in the front of the hip, it’s likely hip-related. If bending forward or twisting worsens the pain, the lower back might be the issue.

Understanding where your pain originates can help you take the right approach to recovery and ensure your efforts to fix and fight the pain are not in vain.

How to Fix Hip Pain While Sitting

If you’re ready to reclaim your comfort, here are some effective strategies to ease hip pain and prevent it from coming back:

1. Use Recovery Tools & Treatments

• Foam Rolling – Rolling out your glutes and hip flexors can relieve tension. Foam rolling works by stimulating blood flow to the muscles which aids in pain relief and overall tension.

• Epsom Salt Soak – A warm bath with Epsom salts can ease muscle tightness. Epsom salt is a magnesium rich, naturally occurring salt that helps relax the muscles and can give big relief to your hips.

• Contrast Therapy – Alternating between cold and hot therapy (like here at RESET!) can speed up recovery. If you don’t have access to a wellness studio that offers contrast therapy, you can try hot and cold showers at home! 

2. Move & Strengthen Weak Muscles

With areas that are prone to pain, sometimes an underlying cause can be a weak muscle that is being overcompensated for and causing issues elsewhere in your body. Here are some simple movements you can use daily to strengthen your hips.

• Glute Bridges – Strengthens your glutes and stabilizes your hips.

• Clamshells – Helps activate and strengthen your hip abductors.

• Core Work – A strong core supports better posture and relieves strain on your hips.

3. Fix Your Sitting Posture

• Sit with both feet flat on the floor.

• Keep your hips and knees at a 90-degree angle.

• Use lumbar support or a cushion to maintain good spinal alignment.

• Stand up and move every 30-60 minutes to prevent stiffness.

• Better yet, invest in a standing desk if you are able so you are not confined to sitting in a chair all day long! 

4. Try These Stretches for Hip Relief

• Seated Figure Four Stretch – This is a great yoga pose that loosens up tight glutes and hips. Place your right ankle just above your left knee to make a “4” shape with your legs. Slowly lower your hips down, aiming for about a 90-degree bend in the left leg. You will feel a nice pull in your hip. You can alternate each leg after about 20-60 seconds.

• Hip Flexor Stretch – Opens up the front of the hips.To do the stretch, kneel on one leg with your other leg extended out in front of you with your foot flat on the floor, then gently push your hips forward while keeping your back straight, feeling the stretch in the front of your back leg and hip.

• Butterfly Stretch – Relieves tension in the inner thighs and hips. To do the stretch, sit on the ground and put the heels of your feet together. You can hold either at your ankles or rest your hands on your knees. And then gently lean forward until you feel stretched to the inside of your thighs.

• Standing Quad Stretch – Helps balance hip flexor tightness. For this stretch, stand up and keep your knees next to each other. With one foot flat on the ground, pull your opposite foot toward your glutes until you feel a gentle stretch across the front of your hip and down the front of your thigh. The important thing here is that your knee should be pointed directly at the ground not out to the side.

5. Go through a RESET Session

At RESET Mind and Body, we believe in a holistic approach to recovery. Our compression therapy, infrared saunas, cold plunges, hot tubs, and red light therapy can help:

• Reduce inflammation and improve circulation

• Loosen tight muscles and relieve tension

• Promote recovery and strengthen the body’s natural healing process

A session at RESET can leave your hips feeling brand new. Plus, our guided specialists ensure you get the most out of every visit. We have hip compression sleeves to specifically target the area and help alleviate pain! 

How to Prevent Hip Pain While Sitting

Pain is your body’s way of saying, "Hey, something needs to change!" Here are some proactive steps to keep your hips happy:

• Upgrade Your Workspace – Use an ergonomic chair or invest in a standing desk to switch up sitting 8 or 9 hours straight. A lumbar support pillow is another easy tool you can use to ensure your posture is strong. Better yet, find a walking pad so you can not only take a break from sitting but get some movement in simultaneously. 

• Incorporate Daily Mobility Exercises – A few minutes a day can make a huge difference. If you regularly work out, work a few mobility motions into your routine to start your workout and prime your body for motion. If you’re less active, you can incorporate this routine every time you prepare to sit for a long stint.

• Stay Active – Regular movement and strength training keep your hips strong and flexible, and work all of your muscles to ensure your body is well balanced and functional.

• Hydrate – Proper hydration helps keep joints lubricated and muscles functioning optimally.

• Visit RESET Regularly – A combination of compression therapy, infrared saunas, contrast therapy, and red light therapy can help maintain hip health and prevent recurring pain.
  

Break Up with Your Hip Pain

Hip pain while sitting doesn’t have to be your reality and it is high-time to bid it farewell! By making small adjustments to your posture, adding strength and mobility exercises to your routine, and incorporating RESET’s recovery methodologies, you can move through life with pain-free hips and stronger than ever.

Your hips quite literally carry you through life, so give them some extra tender loving care and treat them well. Ready to give them the care they deserve? Book a session at RESET Mind and Body today and experience the relief for yourself!