Pain in the Outer Hip: Why It Happens and What Helps

Pain in the outer hip is a very common ache on the side of the hip, over the bony point you can feel at the top of the thigh. It is often called greater trochanteric pain syndrome. In plain words, the tendons or the small fluid sac next to that bony point have become irritated. It tends to show up after midlife, and women notice it more often than men.

This page explains what usually sits behind outer hip pain, what often helps, and how the Feldenkrais® Method offers a gentle extra angle. It is general information and not a diagnosis.

What pain in the outer hip usually feels like

Most people describe a sore, spreading ache that they can point to with one hand. It tends to be worst in a few familiar situations:

• Lying on that side at night
• Climbing stairs or walking uphill
• Standing on that leg while you put on trousers
• Sitting with the legs crossed
• Getting up after a long time in a chair

The pain can sometimes travel down the outside of the thigh. It rarely goes below the knee. Many people also feel it first thing in the morning and then ease as they move.

Why the side of the hip gets irritated

Every step you take, your weight lands on one leg. For that moment, muscles on the side of your pelvis keep you level. The main ones are called gluteus medius and minimus. Their tendons, the strong cords that join muscle to bone, attach right at the bony point of the hip.

The tendons sit under constant load. They are also pressed against the bone when you lie on that side, cross your legs, or stand with your hip pushed out to one side. Too much squeezing, too little variety and a few months of this can leave the area sore. A nearby bursa, a small cushion of fluid, can join in. Our Feldypedia article on bursitis explains that part in more detail.

Other causes of outer hip pain

Not every ache on the side of the hip comes from the tendons. A few other sources can feel similar, and a clinician can tell them apart:

• Pain referred from the lower back, which can be felt in the buttock and outer hip
• Arthritis of the hip joint, which is usually felt deeper, often in the groin
• A nerve that is irritated near the spine or the pelvis

Hip joint arthritis is one of several possible causes. Across the world, osteoarthritis most often involves the knee, and the hip comes next (WHO, 2023). If your pain sits mostly in the groin, mention that when you see a professional.

What usually helps with pain in the outer hip

The first step is to take pressure off the sore spot. These changes cost nothing and are often the most useful:

• Stand on both feet, and avoid hanging into one hip
• Keep your legs uncrossed when you sit
• Place a pillow between your knees when you lie on your side
• Change position often, rather than staying in one posture for hours
• Choose walking on level ground over steep hills while it is sore

The second step is gradual loading. Tendons usually get stronger when they are loaded in small, planned steps. A physiotherapist can test your hip and build that plan with you. It is a good partner for the work on this page.

A word about the IT band. This is the long strip of tissue down the outside of the thigh. Pulling it hard, or rolling directly over the bony point, can press the tendon against the bone. That can leave the hip more irritated, so a gentle approach is wiser.

The Feldenkrais angle on outer hip pain

Feldenkrais is movement education. It does not treat the tendon. It invites you to notice how you move, so that the side of the hip may not need to work so hard.

Try a small experiment now. Stand with your feet about hip width apart. Notice where your weight is. Is it more on one foot? Let it travel slowly to the other foot. Feel the pressure move through the sole, then the ankle, then the knee. Where does the hip join in? Does one side of the pelvis drop or lift?

Then take a few slow steps. Sense how each foot meets the floor and how the knee answers. Sense how the pelvis turns as the leg swings. Many people find that one hip does most of the bracing, and that it softens when the whole leg shares the job.

That is why sensing the whole leg through the knee is such a useful skill. A good place to practise it is our set of knee proprioception exercises. Proprioception is simply your inner sense of where a part of you is and how it moves.

In Feldy lessons, Chava Sorani guides you through slow movement in comfortable positions. You stay well within what feels easy. Curious how it fits together? Look at the Feldy approach to hip and knee pain, or begin with the free trial.

Alongside clinical care and other methods

Care from a doctor or physiotherapist sits alongside this work. They can examine the hip, rule out other causes, and guide tendon loading when that is needed. Feldenkrais does not replace any of it.

Other methods are different, not better or worse. Strength work builds capacity in the muscles. Pilates trains control and trunk support. Yoga and stretching explore range, though deep hip stretches may be too much while the outer hip is sore. Alexander Technique looks at habits of posture and balance. Feldenkrais focuses on sensing and choice. You can combine them, and many people do.

For more on this area, read our guides on tight outer hips and glute med pain.

A note on safety

Mild outer hip pain that eases as you move is usually safe to work with gently. Let comfort set the limit. Stop anything that sharpens the pain.

Please get medical help for pain after a fall, a hot or swollen joint, a fever, or if you cannot put weight on the leg.

Common Questions about pain in the outer hip (FAQ)

What should I avoid with pain in the outer hip?

Avoid anything that squeezes the side of the hip against the bone. Crossing your legs, hanging your weight on one hip when you stand, and lying on the sore side without padding all add pressure. Deep stretches that pull the knee across the body can also irritate it. You do not need to stop moving. Walking on level ground within comfort is usually fine.

How often should I practise the standing and walking experiments?

A few seconds at a time, many times a day, works better than one long session. Each time you notice you are leaning on one hip, shift to both feet and sense the weight. Add one short floor lesson on most days if you like. Keep everything inside comfort.

How long until outer hip pain feels different?

Tendons change slowly. Many people notice the sharp edge soften after a few weeks of taking pressure off the side of the hip. A fuller settling can take a few months, with better and worse days. If nothing has changed after a month or two, have it checked.

How is this different from foam rolling or stretching the IT band?

Rolling or stretching the band often presses the tendon against the bone, which is the spot that is already sore. A Feldenkrais® lesson works from another angle. It explores how weight travels through your foot, knee, hip and pelvis, so the side of the hip does less bracing. Some people find gentle rolling on the thigh comfortable. Skip it if it leaves you more sore the next day.

When should I see a professional about outer hip pain?

Book a visit with a doctor or physiotherapist when a fall started the pain, when the joint is hot or swollen, or when you have a fever. Get help too if you cannot bear weight, if the groin hurts, if the leg feels numb or weak, or if the ache has not changed in several weeks. A quick assessment tells you what you are dealing with.

What is the best sleeping position for outer hip pain?

Many people do best on the back, or on the pain free side with a pillow between the knees. The pillow stops the top leg from dropping across the body and squeezing the sore spot. If you can only sleep on the sore side, a folded blanket or soft topper under the hip spreads the pressure.

Is pain in the outer hip the same as hip bursitis?

They overlap. Bursitis means an irritated fluid sac beside the bony point of the hip. Scans of sore hips often show irritated tendons as well, or instead. This is why many clinicians now use the broader name greater trochanteric pain syndrome. Only an assessment can tell which tissue is involved in your hip.