Hip Pain SmartSiteTM
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Stay active and exerciseDescriptionBeing active is good for your overall health and sense of well-being. People with arthritis who remain active feel better than those who do not. Exercise keeps your muscles strong and increases your range of motion. This is the amount you can bend and flex your joints. Tired, weak muscles add to the pain or stiffness caused by arthritis. Be sure you do exercises and get as strong as you can before surgery. It can speed up your recovery. Choose from these activitiesWater exercises may be the best exercise for your arthritic hip. Swim laps, do water aerobics, or just walk in the shallow end of a pool. All these exercises will help make the muscles around your spine and hips stronger. If you are not able to do water exercise or use a stationary bike, try walking. Just be sure it does not cause too much pain. Walk on smooth, even surfaces, such as the sidewalks near your home or at a shopping mall. Ask your health care provider if you can use a stationary bike. If you have severe arthritis, using a bike may hurt your joints more. If you cannot use a stationary bike, even doing upper body exercises can be helpful for you to prepare for surgery. Ask your physical therapist or provider to show you gentle exercises that will increase your range of motion and strengthen the muscles around your hips. Be carefulAs long as you don't overdo it, staying active and getting exercise will not make your hip arthritis get worse any faster. Taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) or another pain pill before exercising is OK. But don't overdo the exercise because you have taken the medicine. If any exercise causes your pain to become worse later that day, during the night, or the next day, try doing less exercise the next time. | ||||||||||||||||||
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Review Date: 12/31/2018 Reviewed By: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. View References:  The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. | ||||||||||||||||||
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