Physical Therapy That Targets Your Actual Hip Problem
Does physical therapy actually help hip pain?
Physical therapy helps many types of hip pain, including arthritis, gluteal tendinopathy, hip impingement and many labral tears. A typical plan runs 6 to 12 weeks and focuses on hip and core strength, movement control and a home program. Dr. Stride prescribes therapy for a specific diagnosis and tracks progress against clear goals.
Exercise therapy is a first-line treatment for most hip pain, and for many people it is the only treatment needed. The difference is in the details. A therapy plan for side-of-hip tendon pain looks very different from one for a labral tear or arthritis, so Dr. Stride writes the prescription around your diagnosis and stays in touch with your therapist.
Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Stride, MD, board-certified orthopedic surgeonLast reviewed October 2026
At a glance
- Also called
- hip rehab, hip strengthening exercises, physical therapy for hip arthritis, PT for labral tear
- Typical recovery
- After discharge
- Category
- Non-Surgical Care
Is this right for you?
Usually a good fit if
- Hip arthritis that limits walking, stairs or getting out of a low chair
- Side-of-hip pain from gluteal tendinopathy or trochanteric bursitis
- Labral tears and FAI in active adults who want to try to avoid surgery
- Dancers and yoga lovers with snapping or deep groin pain
- Anyone preparing for hip surgery (prehab) or recovering after it
Another option may be better if
- A suspected stress fracture, which needs protected weight bearing and imaging first
- Severe bone-on-bone arthritis when walking is already very limited, where therapy helps comfort and prehab but will not restore the joint
What happens, step by step
A diagnosis-specific prescription
Your therapy order names the problem and the precautions. For impingement and labral tears, that means building strength without forcing deep hip flexion. For gluteal tendinopathy, it means avoiding positions that squeeze the tendon, such as crossing the legs or hanging on one hip while standing.
Strength where it counts
Most hip programs center on the gluteus medius and maximus, deep hip rotators and core. Exercises progress from bridges and side-lying work to step-downs, single-leg balance and loaded movements such as split squats.
Movement and gait retraining
Your therapist works on how you walk, squat, run or swing a golf club so the hip is not overloaded. Hands-on joint mobilization may be added for arthritis stiffness.
Home program and check-ins
Most people attend once or twice a week and do 15 to 20 minutes of exercise at home on other days. Dr. Stride rechecks you at about 6 weeks to make sure you are on track.
Could it start in your back?
Most hip programs include core and lower-back work, because a stiff hip makes the spine twist more on every stride and swing.
Typical recovery timeline
Pain calming and basic activation. Many people notice less night pain and easier stairs early on.
Strength builds and exercises get harder. Some soreness after sessions is normal and should settle within a day.
Dr. Stride reviews progress. If you have improved, therapy continues; if pain is stuck, an injection or imaging may be added.
Return-to-sport and activity work, such as jogging intervals, golf swing drills or pickleball footwork.
A short maintenance routine two or three times a week helps keep results from fading.
Timelines are typical ranges. Your plan depends on your hip, your health and what was done in surgery.
“I tell patients that therapy is real treatment in its own right. A strong, well-coordinated hip handles a labral tear or early arthritis far better than a weak one. When you put in the work and it is still not enough, then we talk about the next step together.”
Dr. Stride, MD
Frequently asked questions
How long does physical therapy take for hip pain?
Most hip therapy plans last 6 to 12 weeks. Tendon problems often need the full 12 weeks because tendons adapt slowly. You should notice meaningful change by about 6 weeks.
Can physical therapy fix a hip labral tear?
Therapy does not heal the torn tissue. Even so, many people with labral tears become pain free or close to it with a good program. Strengthening the muscles around the hip reduces the stress on the labrum. If symptoms persist after a full trial, hip arthroscopy may be discussed.
What exercises should be avoided with hip pain?
That depends on the cause. With impingement, deep squats and pulling the knee hard to the chest often aggravate the joint. With side-of-hip tendon pain, stretching the leg across the body and sleeping on the sore side usually make it worse.
Is physical therapy worth it before a hip replacement?
Yes, prehab helps many patients recover faster after surgery. Stronger muscles and practice with a walker or cane make the first weeks easier. Dr. Stride often recommends a few weeks of focused prehab before a planned replacement.
Related treatments
Hip Activity & Weight Plan
An activity and weight plan can meaningfully reduce hip pain, especially from arthritis.
Read more →InjectionsTrochanteric Bursa Injection
A trochanteric bursa injection places cortisone and numbing medicine over the bony point on the outside of the hip to calm hip bursitis and gluteal tendon pain.
Read more →PreservationHip Labral Repair
Hip labral repair is an arthroscopic surgery that reattaches a torn labrum, the ring of cartilage around the hip socket, using small anchors.
Read more →PreservationGluteus Medius Tendon Repair
Gluteus medius tendon repair is a surgery that reattaches the torn hip abductor tendons to the outside of the hip bone, done endoscopically or through a small open incision.
Read more →CompareSurgery vs Physical Therapy
Many hip labral tears improve with physical therapy and activity changes, so a structured therapy trial of about 3 months usually comes first.
See the comparison →Hip pain this can help with
Pain in the Front of the Hip and Groin
Front of hip and groin pain usually comes from inside the hip joint itself.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · Outside of hipPain on the Outside of the Hip
Pain on the outside of the hip is most often greater trochanteric pain syndrome, an irritation of the gluteus medius and minimus tendons and the bursa over the bony point of the hip.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · Back of hipPain in the Back of the Hip and Buttock
Pain in the back of the hip and buttock most often comes from the lower back, such as a pinched nerve or sciatica, or from the sacroiliac joint.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomIs It Your Hip or Your Back?
Hip joint pain is usually felt in the groin or front of the thigh and flares with putting on socks or getting out of a car.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomHip Clicking, Popping and Snapping
Hip clicking or snapping, called snapping hip syndrome or coxa saltans, usually comes from a tendon sliding over bone.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomHip Stiffness and Loss of Motion
A stiff hip is most often caused by hip osteoarthritis, which reduces rotation and makes socks, shoes and getting out of a car harder.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomHip Pain at Night
Hip pain at night is most often caused by greater trochanteric pain syndrome, where lying on the side compresses the gluteal tendons, or by hip osteoarthritis, which can ache at rest as it advances.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomHip Pain When Walking
Hip pain when walking is most often caused by hip osteoarthritis, which brings a groin ache and a limp, or by gluteal tendinopathy, which causes outer hip pain.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomPain After Hip Replacement
Pain after hip replacement is normal for the first several weeks and usually fades steadily over about 3 months.
Causes & treatment →Questions patients ask about this
Can a Hip Labral Tear Heal on Its Own?
A torn hip labrum has a limited ability to heal itself, yet many people still avoid surgery.
Hip Arthroscopy Recovery Time: What Really Happens
Most people use crutches for 2 to 6 weeks after hip arthroscopy, return to desk work within 1 to 2 weeks, and recover over about 4 to 6 months.
Hip Pain From Golf: Lead Hip, Trail Hip and How to Keep Playing
Golf hip pain usually comes from the rotation the swing demands.
SourcesReferences used for this page3
Medically reviewed by Dr. Stride, MD against current guidance from these sources. Last reviewed October 2026. How we write and review content
- Hip Conditioning Program (opens in a new tab) AAOS OrthoInfo
- Physical Therapy (Physiotherapy): What It Is & Benefits (opens in a new tab) Cleveland Clinic
- Management of Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Narrative Review (opens in a new tab) PubMed Central (PMC)