How to Ease Hip Pain at Home: Simple Everyday Steps

Learning how to ease hip pain at home is mostly about small, kind choices through the day. An ordinary aching hip, the kind that comes on without a fall or an injury, usually responds well to a calmer rhythm. This guide covers simple things you can try, and the signs that mean a doctor should look at it.

Hip pain is common because the hip carries a lot. Osteoarthritis hits the knee hardest, with about 365 million people affected, and the hip comes next, according to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2023). So if your hip aches, you are far from alone.

Where the ache may be coming from

Where you feel the pain gives a hint. It is not a diagnosis.

• Pain in the groin, at the front of the hip, is often how hip osteoarthritis is felt. Osteoarthritis is wear and change in the joint, and it is common as the years go by.
• Pain on the outer side of the hip, which hurts when you lie on that side, often comes from the tendons and the bursa there. The bursa is a small fluid cushion that helps tendons glide. Our guide to hip bursitis pain relief goes into this.
• Pain in the buttock can come from the hip, but it can also come from the lower back.

If you are unsure, that is fine. The first steps below suit most everyday aches.

How to ease hip pain at home: rest the hip, but not completely

Relative rest means you ease off whatever makes the hip complain, such as long walks, deep squats or hours on a low sofa. You keep doing the gentle things that feel fine. Stopping everything can leave a hip feeling stiffer and weaker, so aim for a quieter day, not a still one.

Warmth, cold and changing position

Heat or cold can both be comforting. Use whichever feels good to you, for a short time, with a cloth between the heat or ice and your skin.

Changing position matters just as much. A hip often gets sore from staying in one place. Stand up from sitting every half hour or so. When you lie on your side, tuck a pillow between your knees so the top leg is not pulled across. If sleep is the hard part, our guide to hip pain when sleeping on your side has more ideas.

Small, slow movement

Gentle movement often helps a sore hip feel less stuck, and it lets you find out how much is comfortable today. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Let one knee drift a little way to the side and come back, as slowly as you like. Stay in a range that feels easy and stop before any pain grows. Then try the other side, and notice whether the two feel different.

For a few more ideas, see our hip stretches for pain. Our Feldypedia article on hip stiffness explains why a hip can feel stuck. The Feldenkrais Method® uses this kind of slow, curious movement, and Feldy offers it as short guided lessons at home.

Pace your walks

Walking is usually good for a sore hip, if you pace it. Take shorter walks more often, on flat ground, at an easy speed. If the hip is clearly worse afterwards, do a little less next time. The hip also has to sense where your weight lands with each step. Our knee proprioception exercises are a calm place to start building that sense.

Painkillers and when to get help

For painkillers, ask a pharmacist or a doctor. They can tell you what is safe for you.

Please see a doctor urgently in these cases: you have had a fall, you cannot put weight on the leg, you have a fever, the hip looks hot, red or swollen, or the pain is severe or getting worse. If the pain has not eased in about two weeks, check with a doctor too. Feldy sits alongside any care you are given, and never replaces it.

Find where to start

Several movement methods can suit a sore hip, and the best match depends on what you enjoy. You do not have to guess.

Not sure which movement method fits you? Take the 60-second Movement Match quiz; tell it where your hip complains and it suggests one method to begin with.

Common Questions about easing hip pain at home (FAQ)

How can I ease hip pain at home?

Keep moving gently, but ease off what hurts. Warmth or cold can help if it feels good to you. Change position often, add small slow movements, and walk in short, easy rounds. If the pain does not ease in about two weeks, check with a doctor.

Should I rest or keep moving when my hip hurts?

Most everyday hip aches do best with relative rest. That means easing off the things that hurt while you keep doing gentle things that feel fine. Stopping all movement tends to leave the hip stiffer. Severe pain, or pain after a fall, needs a doctor rather than more movement.

Is heat or cold better for hip pain?

Neither is better for everyone. Use whichever feels good on your hip, for a short time, with a cloth between your skin and the heat or ice. If a hip that looks hot, red or swollen is why you are reaching for ice, that is a sign to see a doctor.

How should I sleep with hip pain?

Many people feel more comfortable lying on their back, or on the pain free side with a cushion tucked between the knees. Change position when you wake. If the pain keeps waking you, mention it to a doctor.

Which painkillers can I take for hip pain?

Ask a pharmacist or a doctor. They know your health history and any other medicines you take, and they can tell you what is safe for you and for how long.

How long does everyday hip pain take to ease?

Many ordinary hip aches settle within a few days to a couple of weeks once the hip has had a calmer rhythm. Some take longer. If yours has not eased in about two weeks, or it keeps coming back, check with a doctor.

When should I see a doctor about hip pain?

Get urgent medical help after a fall, when the leg cannot take your weight, when there is a fever, when the hip looks hot, red or swollen, or when the pain is severe or growing. Also check in if it does not ease in about two weeks.