Strengthening Your Hips to Save Your Knees
If you're dealing with knee osteoarthritis (OA), you're not alone. This condition affects millions worldwide, often making everyday activities like walking or climbing stairs a challenge. While it might sound counterintuitive, strengthening your hips could be the secret weapon for easing knee pain and improving mobility. Let’s dive into the how and why.
What’s the Link Between Hips and Knees?
Knee OA is a degenerative joint disease that commonly develops in the weight-bearing medial compartment of the knee. It leads to pain, stiffness, and reduced function (Thomas et al., 2022). Interestingly, research shows that weak hip muscles—especially the abductors—can make matters worse by increasing stress on your knee joints during movement. This extra load speeds up the wear and tear on your cartilage (Neelapala et al., 2020).
When your hip abductors are weak, the pelvis tends to drop on the opposite side during activities like walking. This forces your body’s center of gravity to shift, increasing pressure on the inside of your knee. Over time, this contributes to pain and joint deterioration (Deasy et al., 2016).
The Science Behind Hip Strengthening
Recent studies highlight the benefits of you targeting hip strengthening exercises for managing knee OA. Strengthening your hip muscles not only helps reduce pain but improves your ability to move. For example, research has shown that hip abductor exercises can significantly lower your pain scores and enhance physical function (Thomas et al., 2022).
A systematic review revealed that incorporating resistance exercises for hip muscles—using tools like elastic bands or ankle weights—can improve your overall quality of life. Participants experienced better walking endurance, stair-climbing ability, and gait speed (Neelapala et al., 2020).
Why Choose Hip Exercises?
Traditional knee-focused rehab often centers on strengthening the quadriceps. While this is effective, adding hip-focused exercises to your routine has unique advantages. Studies comparing hip-focused exercises to standard knee rehab found that targeting the hips provides added benefits, especially for reducing pain and improving walking mechanics (Thomas et al., 2022).
Easy Exercises to Get Started
Ready to give hip strengthening a try? Here are a couple of beginner-friendly exercises your physiotherapist may recommend you can do at home:
Side-Lying Leg Lifts:
- Lie on your side with your legs stacked.
- Lift your top leg upward, keeping it straight.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.
Standing Hip Abduction:
- Stand next to a wall or sturdy chair for balance.
- Slowly lift one leg out to the side and back down.
- Complete 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
Always consult with your physiotherapist before starting a new exercise regimen, especially if you’re managing a condition like knee OA.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let knee OA hold you back. With your physiotherapist focusing on strengthening your hips, you can reduce pain, improve mobility, and reclaim the activities you love. Think of it as building a strong foundation to support healthier knees—and a more active you.
Written by Dillon Hunter, in collaboration with River East Physiotherapy
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References
- Neelapala, Y. V. R., Bhagat, M., & Shah, P. (2020). Hip muscle strengthening for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review of literature. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, 43(2), 89-98.
- Deasy, M., Leahy, E., & Semciw, A. I. (2016). Hip strength deficits in people with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 46(8), 629-639.
- Thomas, D. T., Shruthi, R., Prabhakar, A. J., et al. (2022). Hip abductor strengthening in patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 23(622).