Let’s talk about postpartum hip pain. It’s not very common (or at least not as common as pregnancy hip pain!), but it can be VERY debilitating and limiting to the moms who have it. So, I wish more people were talking about it.
Maybe you feel a constant, deep ache in your hip that flares up when you’re carrying your baby. It can also feel like more of a sharp, stabbing sensation that catches you off guard (for example, when you’re getting out of bed at night for a feeding).
Some moms also tell me it feels like their hip is “locked up” or “unstable.”
I’ve been there myself! After my second baby, my hip was SO angry, and it took a lot of time, effort, and consistency to work through my postpartum rehab and get back to pain-free running.
If you’re dealing with postpartum hip pain, I’ll share evidence-based education and three physical therapy exercises to alleviate your symptoms in this blog post. This post will be helpful to ALL mamas, even if you gave birth years ago!
What Is Postpartum Hip Pain?
Postpartum hip pain is any discomfort you feel in your hips, pelvis, or surrounding areas after having your baby.
Around 32% of women experience hip pain during pregnancy, and it often persists even after you give birth. The problem is that postpartum hip pain gets significantly less attention.
“Postpartum hip pain” is a big umbrella term that can include many different diagnoses. Some of the most common I see as a PT for moms are pelvic girdle pain (PGP), symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), hip bursitis, and a labral tear.
All of these conditions can cause pain in your pelvis and hips, sometimes running down into your thighs. 1 in 10 women with PGP during pregnancy still have severe pain 10 or 11 years later (!!!).
What Are the Symptoms of Postpartum Hip Pain?
Each mom’s experience with postpartum hip pain is unique, but there are some common symptoms I see over and over again in the physical therapy clinic. Here’s what it might look like for you:
- Sharp pain that catches you off guard when climbing stairs or getting out of bed
- A deep ache in your hip that gets worse when you’re carrying your baby or walking for more than a few minutes
- Pain that makes it hard to sit or stand for long periods
- A feeling of instability in your hip, like it might “give out” when you’re walking
- Pain that travels from your hip down into your thigh
- Lower back pain (because your hips and back are connected, and hip pain changes how you walk/move/lift so your back has to compensate, which often adds another level of discomfort)
- Your hip popping or snapping during exercise or when walking
Overall, if you experience hip discomfort that forces you to change how you move or give up activities you love, it’s NOT just a “normal” side effect of being a mom. There are things you can do to make postpartum pain better or even get rid of it completely.
What Causes Postpartum Hip Pain?
During pregnancy, your body undergoes major changes to prepare for birth.
The hormone relaxin loosens your ligaments and hip joints, and your growing belly shifts your center of gravity. Your posture and body alignment change, too. All of these factors can contribute to hip and pelvic pain.
But why does the pain continue postpartum? Often, it comes down to muscle weakness. Your core and pelvic muscles have been through a lot during pregnancy, and they need time to rebuild their strength.
Hip bursitis, inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs (bursae) that cushion your hip joints, is very common postpartum. It can cause pain in the outer hip and when walking, climbing stairs, or lying on your side. Some moms also experience tenderness and swelling.
Sometimes, hip pain comes from a labral tear. Your hip socket has a ring of cartilage (that’s the labrum) that helps keep your thigh bone in place. This cartilage can wear down or tear over time, especially with all the changes your body goes through during pregnancy.
I had a labral tear with my second, and while it sounds scary, it’s definitely treatable! The only way to truly fix the labral tear is with surgery, BUT rehab strengthens the surrounding muscles and dramatically decreases pain and other symptoms.
Labral tears are also often asymptomatic, and recent studies show that a large part of the population – as many as 69% – might have them without even knowing.
Postpartum Hip Pain Risk Factors
You might be wondering why you’re dealing with hip pain while your friend who just had a baby isn’t. Here are the most common risk factors for hip pain after pregnancy:
- Hip or pelvic pain during pregnancy
- Rushing back to exercise without proper core and pelvic floor rehab
- Previous injuries to your back, hips, or pelvis
- A history of hip problems before pregnancy
- Poor core strength going into pregnancy
- History of low back pain
- A long pushing phase during delivery
But generally speaking, it’s hard to predict and prevent hip pain and joint pain symptoms. But it IS possible to alleviate joint pain symptoms with proper treatment – even if you’ve been dealing with them for years!
Postpartum Hip Pain Treatment and Physical Therapy
Physical therapy can be a game-changer for postpartum hip pain. As a PT who specializes in postpartum care & pelvic floor, I’ve seen countless moms get back to feeling strong and confident through targeted treatment!
Here’s what that looks like:
First, you need to get your pelvis back to the neutral position. During pregnancy, your growing belly pulls your pelvis forward, and sometimes it gets “stuck” there after birth. After the baby arrives, you need to retrain your body to find that level position again.
(Sometimes there are also asymmetries between the sides and one of your sides can pull more forward than the other, so you need to do exercises that bring both of your hips back into the neutral position.)
Second, you need to rebuild strength in the muscles around your hips. Your hips need to be strong in every direction – forward and back, side to side, and rotational movements too. A lot of these deep core and hip stabilizer muscles feel nonexistent in the postpartum period.
To get rid of postpartum joint pain, you need to build back the brain-muscle connection, and I have an in-depth program that shows you how to do that: Strong Core Mama.
Don’t Clench Your Butt!
Here’s something most moms don’t know – constantly squeezing your glutes can actually cause more problems than it solves.
Are you dealing with a tight butt? Or maybe it feels flat? Sometimes both? Let me explain why this happens.
Many moms end up with a flat butt because of posture changes and because their glute muscles are actually too tight. I know this sounds backward, but hear me out – a muscle that’s constantly tight can’t work properly. It’s like trying to lift weights with muscles that are already exhausted. Your glutes need to be able to relax and contract at the right times.
When your butt muscles are too tight, it can lead to hip pain, low back pain, and even pelvic floor problems. The solution isn’t to clench harder – you need to actually learn how to RELAX those muscles and then rebuild strength the right way!
So, gentle stretches to release tight muscles and core + hip exercises that teach proper muscle engagement are key. I’ll share a couple of exercises below, but you can also find more in Strong Core Mama.
Postpartum Hip Pain Exercises
Exercise 1
Start by lying on your back and place something between your knees – a foam block or small ball works great. Position your hips and knees at 90 degrees, with your feet resting on a chair.
Press your back down into the mat and lift the tip of your tailbone slightly. You should feel your heels pressing into the chair, and the back of your thighs should be engaged. Gently squeeze the block or ball between your knees to engage your inner thighs. Try to relax the front of your hips and legs.
Exercise 2
Start on your hands and knees. Extend one leg straight back, squeeze your glute muscle, and lift that foot off the floor. Hold for a couple of seconds, lower back down, and repeat.
We’re focusing on engaging the glute (the back of your tush) to lift that leg. Don’t worry about leg height at all. Just focus on keeping those hips square to the floor while engaging your glute to do the lifting.
Many people do this exercise wrong because they don’t keep their hips square and lift the leg with their back muscles instead of their glutes.
Exercise 3
Lie on your right side, supporting your head and neck. Keep your bottom leg bent for stability and lengthen your top leg. First reach that top leg away from your body, making it really long, then slowly lift it up along the wall. Hold for a couple of seconds, then slowly lower back down.
You should keep the foot parallel to the floor and avoid lifting with the toes. Also, you should feel this burning in your side hip, not in the front of your hip or your back!
Postpartum Hip Pain When Sleeping
Hip joint pain can make it really challenging to get comfortable at night. You may be waking up with stiff, achy hips or struggling to lie on your side.
If you’re experiencing this, try keeping a pillow between your knees and another behind your back for support. If you’re a side sleeper, make sure your top leg isn’t falling forward – this twisting can strain your hips during the night. Sometimes sleeping on your back with a pillow under your knees can give your hips a break.
Postpartum Hip Pain When Walking
Hip pain can turn a simple stroll into a real challenge. You might notice that the pain gets worse the longer you walk, or you might feel unstable like your hip could give out.
If you struggle with this, pay attention to your walking posture. Make sure to use your glutes by “kicking the world behind you” and moving in small, short strides. You also need to work on strengthening your side and back glutes with targeted exercises because they’re essential for walking!
Regular physical therapy exercises can help you manage even severe joint pain and get back to walking or running postpartum.
Lower Back and Hip Pain Postpartum
Your lower back and hips are closely connected, and when your hips are out of alignment after pregnancy, your lower back often tries to “compensate.”
Plus, you’re bending, lifting, and carrying a lot as a mom, so both areas can get overworked quickly. I personally had this combo, and physical therapy made a huge difference for both my hip AND back!
Again, it’s essential to work on your core and hip stability to reduce lower back and hip pain after pregnancy. I share in-depth programs on how to reduce hip, back, and pelvic area pain in Strong Core Mama.
FAQs
How long until your hips go back postpartum?
Every mom’s recovery journey looks different, and things typically don’t just “go back” postpartum. Your body has been through a transformative, life-changing experience, so it’s unfair to expect it to just “bounce back” to the way it was before. Your hips typically won’t just go back to alignment on their own, but there are exercises you can do to help the process.
If you experience postpartum hip pain, for some women, it can go down after 6 months, but for many moms, it continues to linger on for years postpartum without proper physical therapy and rehab.
How can I tell if my hip is out of alignment?
You might notice that one hip feels higher than the other when you stand, or maybe your pants fit differently on each side. Common signs also include pain that’s worse on one side or feeling like you’re walking unevenly. You might also notice that certain movements, like climbing stairs or getting out of bed, feel different on each side. When in doubt, get checked out by a physical therapist.
Can holding a baby cause hip pain?
Holding your baby doesn’t cause hip pain – the hip pain is there because your body is still finding its way back to stability postpartum. But how you hold your baby can sometimes contribute to hip pain or make it worse if you’re putting extra stress on your recovering hips and pelvis and not being mindful of your posture. If you’re often only holding your baby on one side, this can contribute to pain as well. But with proper core and hip rehab, holding your baby shouldn’t make your hips hurt!
Can breastfeeding cause hip pain?
Breastfeeding doesn’t directly cause hip pain, but the positions you get into while nursing can contribute to it if you haven’t done proper postpartum core and hip rehab. Your joints are more mobile postpartum – even more so when nursing – so focus on supported feeding positions and try to keep your hips level while nursing. Physical therapy exercises can help you gradually rebuild your upper and lower body strength.
How long does postpartum hip pain last?
Without proper treatment, postpartum hip pain can persist for years, so don’t just wait for it to go away on its own! Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you just have to “live with it” because you had a baby. The sooner you start appropriate treatment, the faster you’ll recover.
Can childbirth cause a labral tear?
Yes, the physical demands of pregnancy and childbirth can contribute to labral tears in your hip. I actually had a labral tear with my second baby! Labral tears can often be managed with proper physical therapy and movement modification.
How to relieve postpartum hip pain?
There are short-term solutions, such as modifying your daily movements and icing – especially the side hip area – to reduce inflammation. These adjustments can help reduce hip pain, but it won’t just go away without proper rehab and treatment. Physical therapy exercises help you rebuild your core, hip, and pelvic floor strength postpartum to get rid of persistent hip pain.
What exercises are good for postpartum hip pain?
It’s important to do targeted exercises that rebuild your core and hip stability and help your pelvic bones get back into the neutral position. You can start with the three exercises I share in the blog post, but I have more evidence-based exercises in my program Strong Core Mama. You can also ask me questions as you go through the course material!
Get In-Depth Support in Strong Core Mama!
Many women deal with postpartum hip pain, and there are few resources and little support available to help moms get back to being active pain-free. As a mom of three who’s dealt with hip pain in the past, I know this all too well!
The MOST important thing to know is that postpartum hip pain rarely just goes away on its own. It can for some women, but for most, it persists for months or even years postpartum.
This is why physical therapy is so important. It can help you rebuild the weak muscles in your hips, core, and pelvic region, so you can freely move your body again and stop missing out on the things you love!
In Strong Core Mama, you’ll find in-depth education and physical therapy exercises to make positive changes no matter how LONG AGO you delivered your babies or HOW you delivered them (there’s a special C-section track!). Learn more and join!
