Excess weight is not always a cause of hip pain, but lessening the amount of upper body weight your hips support as you stand and sit can help reduce your pain. Decreasing excess weight in your legs will decrease the workload in your hips as this joint lifts and lowers your legs when you walk.
Hip Joint
Your hip joint is the point where the top of your upper leg bone, the femur, inserts into your pelvis's rounded socket, the acetabulum. When you move your hips, the femur moves around the socket, allowing your leg to move forward, backward, sideways and around. The cartilage covering your femur cushions the space to allow for easy movements.
Overuse, excess weight or arthritis may cause the cartilage to deteriorate from a smooth, thick covering, to a rough, thin covering on the end of your bones. When this happens, your bones may rub together without cushioning, making it difficult and painful to move.
Pain Symptoms
Your hip pain may be slight at first. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons advises you to pay attention to discomfort or stiffness first thing in the morning in your backside, groin or thigh. You may also notice your pain increasing when you are active, but decreasing during rest periods. This is the time to seek medical attention; otherwise, your hip pain may become chronic and even lead to limping.
Weight Loss
Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce hip pain by reducing stress on your hip cartilage. As your weight decreases, your posture also improves so that your hips and back can remain in proper alignment. Once your hips are no longer tilted forward from excess stomach weight, your pain may lessen. Losing weight may also increase your hip's range of motion and make it easier for you to climb stairs and stand up from a chair.
Exercise
Daily physical activity can help to maintain the range of motion in your hip. AAOS recommends swimming, cycling and water aerobics to aid in your weight loss and to protect your hip. These types of exercises can also help to develop strength in the muscles surrounding your hip, conferring improved joint support.
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