If you’ve ever experienced pain in your hip when squatting, you know how frustrating it can be. Hip pain during squats is common among athletes and gym-goers, often due to issues in the hip flexors, core stability, or joint mobility. But there’s good news: with the right strategies, you can address these issues and make squats pain-free.
Let’s break down the most common causes of hip pain during squats, how to fix it, and ways to prevent it from happening again.
What Causes Hip Pain When Squatting?
Hip pain when squatting can arise from multiple factors, including muscle tightness, structural limitations, and specific hip joint conditions. Here’s a closer look at the main contributors:
Limited Ankle Mobility
When you lack sufficient ankle mobility, the body often compensates by placing extra strain on the hips. This limitation, especially in ankle dorsiflexion, restricts the range of motion you can achieve during squats and can lead to hip pain. Limited ankle flexibility may also lead to an anterior pelvic tilt and poor squatting form, which can cause discomfort in the hip flexors. Simple ankle mobilization exercises, like the knee-to-wall test and calf stretches, can help improve your ankle mobility, ultimately supporting better squat form and reducing strain on the hips.
Restriction in Hip Mobility
Restricted hip mobility is a frequent cause of hip pain when squatting. A limited range of motion in the hip joint, often due to tight hip flexors, can lead to suboptimal squat mechanics, which increases the risk of pain in the hips. Tightness in muscles like the hip flexors, glutes, and quadriceps restricts your depth in the squat and can pull on the hip joint in ways that cause discomfort. Increasing rotational mobility and working on hip flexibility with stretches like the pigeon stretch or four-point kneeling rock-back exercise can enhance hip mobility, allowing for deeper and more comfortable squats.
Poor Core Stability
Core stability plays a crucial role in maintaining good posture and balance when squatting. When your core muscles, including the abdominals and lower back muscles, are weak, the body often compensates by placing extra load on the hips. This can lead to an anterior hip pain due to strain on the hip flexors. Building core stability with exercises that focus on a neutral spine, such as planks and dead bugs, helps stabilize the lumbar spine and reduces the risk of hip pain.
Hip Joint Structure
The structure of your hip joint can affect how comfortable squatting feels. Some people naturally have a shallow hip socket or femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome, which limits the movement of the hip joint and increases the risk of anterior hip pain. FAI can cause a pinching sensation when you squat deeply, as the ball-and-socket joint doesn’t move smoothly. Working with a professional to identify hip joint structural anomalies or hip labrum tears through imaging like X-rays or MRIs can help diagnose this issue. Adjusting squat depth and form can help alleviate pain caused by these structural limitations.
Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is present in approximately 10% to 15% of the adult population based on radiological findings, highlighting it as a relatively common structural issue that can impact hip function and contribute to pain.
Tight Hip Muscles
Tightness in the hip flexors, hamstrings, and glutes can cause pain in the hip when squatting. This tightness pulls on the hip joint, leading to strain and discomfort. Regularly incorporating stretching exercises, such as the pigeon stretch, foam rolling, and lateral band walks, can help relieve muscle tension and reduce hip pain. Engaging in a warm-up routine that targets the hip flexors and surrounding muscles is also critical in preventing strain.
Muscle Strains
Muscle strains, particularly in the hip flexors, glutes, and hamstrings, are a common cause of hip pain. Overworking these muscles without adequate rest or warm-up can lead to strains, which can make squats painful. To avoid this, it’s essential to practice injury prevention by warming up effectively and not pushing through excessive pain. Using a supportive brace can help stabilize the area if you have a strain, allowing it to heal more effectively.
Studies have shown that about 7% of competitive bodybuilders experience hip pain, which is often linked to the high demands placed on the hip joint during intense weightlifting exercises like squats and deadlifts.
Hip Conditions
Certain hip conditions are significant contributors to hip pain during squats, including:
Hip Impingement: Also known as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), this condition occurs when there is abnormal contact between the bones in the hip joint. It can limit your range of motion and cause pain, especially during deep squats.
Osteoarthritis: Age-related wear and tear of the hip joint leads to osteoarthritis, which can cause persistent hip pain during movements like squats.
Hip Bursitis: Inflammation of the hip bursa can result in pain and tenderness on the outer part of the hip, making squatting uncomfortable. Rest, physical therapy, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are often recommended to alleviate symptoms.
Symptoms of Hip Pain When Squatting
Symptoms of pain in hip when squatting can range from mild discomfort to severe pain. Common symptoms include:
Pinching pain: A sharp or pinching sensation in the front of the hip, particularly noticeable at the squat’s lowest point, is often a sign of femoroacetabular impingement.
Dull ache: A lingering, dull ache around the hip joint during or after squatting can indicate muscle strain or hip bursitis.
Radiating pain: Pain that extends down the thigh or into the glutes could point to a hip impingement or hip arthritis.
Limited range of motion: A restricted range of motion in the hips or difficulty reaching full squat depth without discomfort may signal issues in the hip flexors, hip biomechanics, or hip joint structure.
How to Fix Hip Pain When Squatting
If you’re experiencing pain in the hip flexor when squatting, addressing it early can help you avoid worsening the issue. Here are some effective strategies to alleviate hip pain and improve squatting form.
Activity Modification
Simple modifications to your squat technique can alleviate pain. Reducing squat depth or adjusting your foot position might be all you need.
Change Your Range of Motion
If deep squats cause hip pain, try partial squats or adjust your squat depth to a range that doesn’t provoke discomfort. This reduces strain on the hip joint, allowing you to build strength without aggravating pain. Additionally, using a supportive brace may provide extra stability.
Modifying Squat Depth and Improve Motor Control
Improving control over your squat movement can prevent improper loading of the hip. Focus on motor control exercises that help you engage the right muscles and maintain a neutral spine during squats.
Strengthening the Hip Flexors
Weak hip flexors are often overlooked as a cause of pain in hip flexor when squatting. By strengthening these muscles, you can better support the hip joint and prevent strain. Exercises like straight-leg raises and seated marches help engage the hip flexors, reducing the likelihood of pain.
Stretching Exercises
Targeted stretching exercises are essential to ease hip pain and improve hip mobility. Regularly performing hip flexor stretches, pigeon pose, and glute stretches helps relieve tension in the muscles surrounding the hip joint. Incorporating a foam roller into your routine can also provide relief for tight hip muscles.
Improve Squat Form
Squatting form, or lack thereof, is one of the leading causes of hip pain when squatting. Working on your squatting technique with a personal trainer or physical therapist can help you address weaknesses in your stance, balance, and stability, and minimize strain on the hips.
Ensure Correct Knee Position
Knees that collapse inward during a squat can place excessive strain on the hip flexors and lead to pain. Ensure that your knees track over your toes and maintain a balanced stance throughout the squat.
Ankle Dorsiflexion Mobilization
Limited ankle mobility is a common problem that restricts squat depth and increases hip strain. Ankle dorsiflexion mobilization, including calf stretches and the knee-to-wall test, can improve flexibility and reduce compensatory stress on the hips.
Preventing Hip Pain When Squatting in the Future
The best approach to preventing pain in the hip when squatting is incorporating regular exercises for hip flexor strength, hip mobility, and core stability. Consistently working on hip biomechanics, maintaining good posture, and doing stretching exercises will help prevent future hip pain. Investing in a quality warm-up that includes exercises for the core, glutes, and hip flexors, such as lateral band walks, will also support proper movement patterns.
When to See a Professional
Persistent hip pain may require medical intervention. If symptoms like groin pain, hip joint tenderness, or significant range-of-motion restrictions don’t improve, it might be time to consult a specialist. A professional can use imaging tests like MRI or X-rays to identify structural problems such as bone injury, osteonecrosis, or stress fractures. Physical therapists and chiropractors, like those at Waterloo Chiropractic, can provide targeted treatments to address your pain.
How Top-Notch Physical Therapy Can Help
Physical therapy can be invaluable for hip pain that doesn’t resolve with stretching or form adjustments. A physical therapist will assess your movement, identify imbalances, and design a personalized plan to improve hip mobility, core stability, and balance. They might also use techniques like dry needling, arthroscopic surgery consultations, or specific strengthening exercises to help you move pain-free.
At Top Notch Physical Therapy, we specialize in personalized care that addresses the root causes of hip pain, ensuring that you can return to squatting and other activities pain-free. Our team of experts in orthopedics employs advanced techniques and tailored rehabilitation plans that focus on improving hip mobility, strength, and stability. Whether you’re dealing with hip impingement, muscle strain, or joint stiffness, our comprehensive approach helps you achieve long-term relief and optimal performance. Ready to move beyond hip pain? Contact us today to schedule a consultation and start your journey to a healthier, stronger you.
Conclusion
Hip pain when squatting doesn’t have to be a permanent obstacle. Understanding the causes and addressing them with targeted exercises, improved mobility, and modifications to your squat form can go a long way in preventing and relieving pain. If pain persists, professional help is available to get you back to pain-free squatting.
FAQs
Why is my hip pinching when I squat?
A pinching sensation in the hip during squats is often due to femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome, where the bones of the hip joint come into contact abnormally. This can be alleviated by limiting squat depth, focusing on hip mobility exercises, and modifying your squat stance.
Do squats hurt hip bursitis?
Yes, squats can aggravate hip bursitis if there’s excess strain on the hip joint. Limiting your squat depth, incorporating stretching, and avoiding movements that cause groin pain can help manage hip bursitis symptoms.
How to fix hip impingement?
Hip impingement often requires a combination of stretching, strengthening, and activity modification. Working with a physical therapist can provide targeted strategies to improve internal hip rotation and alleviate discomfort.
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