What’s Causing Your Hip Pain — and How Physical Therapy Can Relieve It

At Bridging the Gap Physical Therapy in Naples, Florida, David Lee, PT, DPT, and our team work closely with patients to identify the root cause of hip pain. Although the causes can vary, many conditions that cause chronic hip pain respond well to physical therapy. In fact, it may help many patients avoid invasive procedures.

Keep reading to find out the most common hip pain culprits and how we can help. 

Common causes of hip pain

Hip pain can be acute (sudden and short term) or chronic (lasting many months or years). In many cases, it starts when something disrupts the balance within the bones, cartilage (the bone “coating”), muscles, or connective tissues that make up the hip joint. 

A few leading reasons that our patients may seek physical therapy for hip pain are:

• Arthritis, which wears down joint cartilage over time
• Bursitis, or inflammation of fluid-filled sacs that cushion the hip joint
• Tendinitis from overuse or repetitive motion
• Hip labral tears that affect joint stability
• Hip muscle strains
• Hip ligament sprains
• Nerve irritation that radiates pain into the hip or leg
• Hip fractures

Physical therapy is also an integral component of recovery following hip surgery, for example a hip joint replacement. Virtually all surgeons require patients to adhere to a physical therapy plan after surgery, and “prehab” programs to prep the body before surgery are growing more common as well.

Why hip pain doesn’t go away on its own

Many people try to “push through” hip pain, especially if it starts as mild soreness or twinges. But, unfortunately, you can’t really push through most underlying causes of hip pain without a proper diagnosis and expert, targeted treatment.

Trying to use your hip joint normally, despite the pain, can have serious consequences. For example, when muscles are weak, tight, or imbalanced, your body compensates for that change by putting an unusual stress load on the hip joint. This can eventually lead to serious pain that may even radiate to the lower back or legs.

The good news is that early evaluation and tailored treatment can prevent these patterns from becoming long-term problems.

How physical therapy relieves hip pain

At Bridging the Gap Physical Therapy, we focus on hands-on care and personalized recovery strategies. During your initial visit, Dr. Lee and our team evaluate your movement patterns and review your history. We take the time to understand how the pain affects your daily life. 

Your plan may include:

• Guided stretching to improve flexibility
• Strengthening exercises to better support the hip joint
• Manual techniques that gently mobilize joints and soft tissue
• Targeted pressure and release work to relieve muscle tension
• Movement retraining to correct imbalances

Often, Dr. Lee combines approaches to reduce hip inflammation, boost local circulation, and help restore smooth hip movement. 

Every case of hip pain is different, but many patients begin to notice improvement within several weeks of consistent care. We focus equally on immediate relief and long-term results, giving you a path back to a healthy hip.

Phone 239-676-0546 or request an appointment online with Dr. Lee at Bridging the Gap Physical Therapy today.