Why Do My Hips Hurt When I Run? A Complete Guide

Even though running offers tons of benefits to your health and body, it can also cause injuries to the joints, including the hips.

Hip pain when you run has a variety of causes. It can stem from tight hips, stress, and incorrect gait. All of which can lead to pain and injury.

So, why do my hips hurt when I run? This is a common question often asked by beginner runners, and in this article, we will help explain some of the causes. That includes the inside and outside of the hip. So, if you are looking for the causes of your hip pain, keep reading.

Hip Pain – Causes And Treatments

For most runners, hip pain is related to overuse. Overuse is when you push the body too hard. This includes more mileage and harder intervals without adequate rest or recovery. When this happens, the body starts to break down and places more stress on the muscles, joints, and tendons.

When you wear down the hip from overuse to the point where you start to experience pain, it can lead to bursitis, which feels like a burn or popping sensation throughout your hip

Other overuse injuries in the hip can include muscle strain and tendonitis. This may cause stiffness, pain, and aches throughout your hips. It can also feel more pronounced when you run or flex your hip.

Luckily, if you strain your hip muscles, ice and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are usually a quick solution to relieving the pain. However, it is important to regularly ice the affected area, as this will help to reduce inflammation and soreness. However, in more serious cases you may require physical therapy.

Other common causes of hip pain can stem from tight ITBS. ITBS is Iliotibial band syndrome, which is caused by a tight iliotibial (IT) band. This band runs along the outside of your hip down to your knee. When tight or inflamed it can affect the outside of the hip through to the knee, especially during and after running. Symptoms may include pain, tenderness, and redness along the knee and thigh. In some more serious cases, one may experience a clicking or popping noise in the hip when running or walking.

Just like a hip strain, it is important to take NSAIDs and ice the affected area a few times per day. Alternatively stretching and massage can help relieve any tension around the hip.

Last but not least is your running gait. Poor running technique can place added stress on the hips as well as other parts of the body. This can cause overuse of certain muscles that can overload the hips over time, causing pain in your hips when you run.

However, no matter the cause of the hip pain, it is important to rest and ice the affected area a few times per day. Then in more serious cases, a trip to a physiotherapist may be needed.

 

Why Do My Hips Hurt When I Run?

Tight hips, muscle strains, and poor technique are the biggest causes of hip pain when you run. Doing regular stretching, foam rolling and massage can help prevent hip pain from happening during your run.

However, sometimes you may be flexible and have good mobility in the hip and you may still ask “Why do my hips hurt when I run?”

If this is the case, your technique may need to be adjusted to relieve some of the stress on your hip.

A running gait examination can help you see what the hip is doing during a run. then you can either strengthen the area if fatigue sets in, or learn to change your running technique for the better.

Alternatively, you may be in the wrong running shoes. If this is the case your running gait examination will help locate this problem quickly.

Outside Hip Pain After Running

If you experience outside hip pain after running, there are a few causes. It could be from Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) as we talked about, or a poor choice of running shoes that affect your gait.

However, for most people that experience outside hip pain after running, it is often caused by overuse and tight muscles. This can often be relieved by regular stretching, a reduction in volume or intensity, and rest. Other things like foam rolling and ice can also help to reduce any discomfort you may have.

Inside Hip Pain After Running

While outside hip pain after running is more common, some people experience inside hip pain instead. Just like the outside of the hip, the inside is usually caused by muscle strain, tightness, or even tendonitis.

Most of these injuries are still caused by overuse and lack of stretching. In some cases, it can be your gait or running shoes.

However, for the most part, it is from runners trying to increase their mileage too fast, or push through intervals too often. This results in added stress on the hip and the surrounding muscles.

Why Do My Hips Hurt When I Run? – Final Words

For most people, a reduction in training or rest, followed by stretching, massage, and icing will usually fix the problem quickly. In some more serious cases, a visit to your physiotherapist may be needed.

If this is something that happens regularly, you may need to look at your running technique and shoes. You may also need to look at your mobility through the hip and lower back, as these all may be a cause of the pain.

If none of those help your hip pain, you may need to look over your training and make sure you are including adequate recovery. As overuse is one of the most common causes of why you feel hip pain when running.