Importance of Hip Stability for Postpartum Hip Pain
Why is hip stability important?
During the postpartum period, your body is recovering from pregnancy and childbirth. Hormonal changes and the physical demands of carrying a baby can contribute to hip pain, stiffness, and muscle weakness. This is why it’s especially important to pay attention to hip stability during the postpartum recovery phase.
Hip stability refers to the ability to control your hips when other parts of your body are in motion. Your hip muscles stabilize your pelvis every time you walk or move.
They absorb and transfer force through your body every time your foot hits the ground. They also adapt to rotations and movements from your trunk. Without strong hip muscles, even simple daily activities—like carrying your newborn—can cause aches and pains.
Walking itself is basically standing on one leg, over and over again. It’s a continuous balancing act that relies heavily on hip muscle strength and coordination. With each step, your glutes and other hip stabilizers prevent your pelvis from tilting toward the floor.
If you can’t keep your pelvis stable, the rest of your body (including your lower back) will be pulled from side to side, and other muscles will try to compensate. This can contribute to chronic pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility.
Hip Anatomy
Your hips are made up of several bones and joints that all work together:
The pelvic girdle
The sacrum: the big triangle
The coccyx: the little triangle, aka: the tailbone
The ilium: the “wings” on the side of the pelvis that attach to the sacrum and form the sacroiliac joint
The ischium: the bottom and back part of the bony loops at the front of the pelvis
The pubis: the top and middle part of the loops at the front of the pelvis that meet in the middle
The head of the femur: the round knob at the top of the long leg bone that fits into the acetabulum – a notch at the side of the pelvis – that forms the hip joint
The sacrum also connects to and moves against the 5th lumbar vertebrae, the bottom-most bone of your low back, and forms the lumbosacral joint.
As you can see, there are a lot of bones and joints in your hips. Some of these joints can move a lot. Some barely move at all. All of this movement is controlled by your hip muscles.
There are many, many muscles that are connected to your hips and responsible for all movement and stabilizing activity. You hip muscles can be divided into these categories:
Hip flexors and extensors: Muscles that lift your leg up in front of you and muscles that bring your leg back behind you
External and internal hip rotators: Muscles that turn your femur bone outward and those that turn it inward
Hip abductors and adductors: Muscles that bring your leg out to the side and those that bring it towards your midline.
Of all the muscles that power the hips and control their movement, the gluteus medius has the most influence on hip stability. This muscle is on the outside of your buttocks. It holds your hips level when you stand on one leg or walk.
What causes hip instability postpartum
Hip instability can build up over time as a result of poor posture, muscle weakness, or hormonal changes that loosen ligaments during pregnancy. After childbirth, you may notice increased stiffness, pain, or difficulty in certain movements due to the shifts your body has experienced.
Hip instability can also be triggered by sudden events like falls or injuries.
How to tell if you have hip instability or misalignment
If you are concerned about hip pain, instability, and misalignment, consulting in physical therapy is an important first step. Your physical therapist will perform several tests to assess for hip instability and any misalignment in your hip joints.
Even a small misalignment can cause noticeable pain, restrict joint movement, and create instability. For instance, the sacroiliac joint (SI joint) barely moves, but it can sometimes get “stuck” in a slightly rotated position, pulling nearby muscles and ligaments out of their proper alignment.
This means that all the muscles connecting from your lower back, your legs and throughout your hips are being pulled slightly out of line, putting them in a position that makes it difficult to contract.
This can strain the muscles as they try to move, creating pain. Accessory muscles may start to turn on to help initiate movement. This can create a muscular recruitment pattern that leads to weakness in some muscles and overuse and tightness in others.
How to improve hip health postpartum
Strengthening your hip stabilizer muscles and maintaining (or regaining) mobility is essential to easing postpartum hip pain and stiffness. Stretching, gentle yoga, and Pilates can help improve core and hip strength, which supports proper alignment.
If you’re experiencing hip or lower back pain, a physical therapist can determine the underlying causes and suggest exercises specifically suited to your postpartum recovery.
Hip Stability Exercises
Below are a few exercises we recommend for hip stability. Always check with your healthcare provider or physical therapist before starting a new routine, especially during the postpartum period.
Penguin shuffles: Loop a band around your ankles. Stand upright, no hip hinge. Pull you navel in towards your spine. Keeping your legs almost straight and upper body still. Step R leg out to R, bring L leg in maintaining tension on the band. The movement will be more of a shuffle than a side step.
Lateral slides: Start in standing with a slider, paper plate or small towel under your R foot. Bend your L knee and sit your hips back into a squat. At the same time, slide your R foot out to the side. Straighten your L leg and slide your R foot back to starting position.
Pilates for Hip Instability
Pilates involves a lot of core and hip stabilization and can be great for strengthening hip muscles. The Pilates Reformer opens up even more options to challenge and tone your glutes.
Standing reformer kickbacks: Stand to the L of the reformer. Rest your R foot on the shoulder pad nearest you. Sit back into your L leg until you are in a single leg squat. At the same time, push your R foot against the reformer shoulder rest to glide the reformer carriage back. Reverse to stand up straight.
Yoga for Hip Stability
Balancing yoga poses can help strengthen hip stabilizing muscles while promoting flexibility—a perfect complement to the postpartum healing process.
Eagle pose: Start standing with your feet together. Inhale to bring your arms overhead. Exhale double wrap your R arm under your L, palms together in front of your face. Bend your knees slightly and sit your hips back. Inhale, bring your R leg up over your L leg and wrap your legs around each other. Shift your body weight into your heels, lean your upper body back, actively squeeze your legs together. Take 5 breaths here. Unwrap your legs and arms and return to standing position. Do both sides.
Happy baby: Lie on your back. Bring your legs overhead. Bend your knees and grab your feet from the outside. Let your legs relax, knees will bend towards the floor outside your armpits. You can lie still and let gravity open your hips. If you choose, you can alternate straightening and bending each leg or rocking side to side. (45+ sec)
Conclusion
Regaining hip stability is crucial for addressing postpartum hip pain and stiffness. By focusing on exercises to strengthen, gentle mobility work, and proper alignment, you can support your body as it heals and adapts to the demands of life with a new baby.
If you have persistent pain or difficulty moving, don’t hesitate to reach out to our pelvic floor physical therapists for a personalized plan that helps you recover and feel stronger in your postpartum journey.
Book a free consultation call today to learn more about how our team can help!
