It can be overwhelming when you’ve been diagnosed with having Hip Impingement or as we like to say Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI). It can seem that you may never get back to doing your sports & hobbies or enjoying your time with family and friends.
The good news is that by following some simple advice and doing appropriate rehabilitation you can often reduce and sometimes completely get rid of the symptoms of FAI To find out more keep reading as we will show you our TOP 4 Exercises for managing hip Impingement!
Funny enough, most people with this problem come in to the clinic complaining of groin pain instead of hip pain. You may think of your hips as the bony bit on the outer point of their pelvis, however this is just the outer extremity of the femur (thigh bone). The hip joint itself is far deeper and can cause pain in the groin or buttock.
Occasionally, people can get referred pain into the thigh or knee. The main symptoms of FAI include deep aching pain in front of your groin, clicking and catching feelings in hips; These symptoms can get worse when you bring your knee close to your chest, such as when:
- Deep squatting
- Kicking
- Getting in and out of a low car
- Running drills with high knees
- Putting on shoes or socks or tying shoe laces
What is a hip impingement?
Generally speaking, impingement means one part of your body squashing up against or butting into another part of your body. As a result, there can be pain and sometimes inflammation in the area.
In the hip the most common type of impingement is where the front and top of the femur (thigh bone) jams into the socket of your pelvis as you bring your knee to your chest. Hence the groin pain and discomfort.
As mentioned before, usually the pain is the groin region at the front. Often the symptoms can gradually come on over time and get a bit better with rest but come back once you return to the activity that was causing the impingement.
How do we fix hip impingement?
With people who have FAI, muscles or ligaments around the hip have become too tight and are no longer allowing the ball of the thigh bone to move freely within the socket of the pelvis, causing the pinching.
Therefore, treatment for hip impingement generally includes exercises to improve joint range of motion, reduce muscular tension and regain muscle control.
1. Hip Flexor Stretch
- Kneel on the floor with a pillow underneath your knee.
- Place the unaffected foot in a large stride in front of you.
- Push the hips forwards evenly and keep your body straight until you feel the stretch in the front of the hip on your back leg.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds; repeat 5 times
*if you want to make this stretch harder put the back foot up on a chair or step
2. Hip joint stretch into external rotation
- Lay on your back with 1 knee bent so that your foot is next to your knee.
- Let the bent knee gently drop out to the side and hang.
- For a more intense stretch you can add a 2-3 kg weight or do a similar stretch lying on the stomach with the foot locked under the other thigh.
- You should feel a stretch in the front of the hip and groin.
- Holds for 5-10 minutes morning and night.
3. Standing hip abduction
- Tie an exercise band around both your feet.
- Keep your hips as level possible and lift one foot out to the side and slightly backwards into the air.
- Slowly lower your foot back down but don’t let it touch the ground.
- Repeat until you get a burn in your hip and buttock.
4. Hip hitches
- Stand up straight on a step.
- Hang your affected leg off the edge of the step.
- Keep both legs straight as you lower the affected leg towards the ground.
- Next, lift the leg up as high as you can.
- You should feel the effort of this exercise in the side of your body. The movement will come from your hips and pelvis.
- Repeat until you feel a burn in your buttock and hip musculature.
Summary
Realistically to get the best rehab there are many progressions to these exercises and should be tailored based on your level on deficits. This is where a physiotherapy assessment is highly beneficial for designing a rehab program specifically for you. Your physio will also incorporate joint mobilisation, traction, tissue release or dry needling to help you settle down the symptoms.
For more information or to organise an individual assessment please do not hesitate to get in touch with one of our physio’s who will be happy to see you and make sure you are back doing what you love in the quickest time possible!
The advice given is an example of what can work and does not replace any specific advice or rehab guidelines you have been given previously. Before starting any new exercise or rehab program or if you have a current injury check with a suitably qualified health care professional to make sure this is right for you.