Exercising in water is ideal for strengthening and stretching a bad hip. The buoyancy of water supports the weight of your body to relieve stress on your hip. Even though stress on your joints is limited, your muscles will still get a workout as water puts 12 times more resistance on your body than exercising out of the pool, says Vennie Jones, aquatic coordinator for a fitness center in Dallas, Texas, in an article on the Arthritis Today website, titled "Water Walking 101." Talk to your doctor before exercising. Ask your doctor for advice on specifics for an individualized program.
Body Swing Stretching Exercise
The body swing stretches the hip muscles and increases range-of-motion in the outer thighs, according to the Hip Help website article "Complete PT's Aquatic Therapy Program for Hips." It is done facing the wall of a pool with your feet spaced a bit wider than shoulder-width apart. You will bend the knee of the bad hip and shift the weight of your body onto that knee while keeping your back straight. The opposite leg will straighten as you bend the knee. You will then shift the body in the opposite direction by straightening the knee of the bad hip and bending the other knee. Do not go far enough to cause pain.
Lateral Leg Raises Exercise
The lateral leg raises exercise will strengthen the muscles and connective tissue of your hip. You will stand sideways to the wall of the pool with your bad hip close to the wall. You should stand up tall throughout the exercise. You will lift your leg sideways and up toward the surface of the water. It is important to keep your toes pointing forward, not upward. The leg should remain straight during the leg raises.
Kick Training Exercises
Bicycling and scissors exercises are done by placing your body in the corner of a pool. You will brace yourself in the corner and bend your knees. The bicycling exercise is done by alternating the kicking of one leg straight while bending the other in a pedaling motion. The difficultly of the exercise can be increased by kicking the legs out of the water.
The scissors exercise is done from the same position in a corner, but the legs are opened wide and then crossed one over the other. You will alternate the top leg as you go. This exercise should be modified by someone with a hip implant, according to the Hip Help website. The legs should be opened and then brought together. You should not cross them, if you have had a hip implant.
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