Hip Pain When Sitting: 8 Common Causes, Plus How to Treat It
Key takeaways:
Hip pain when sitting can result from poor posture or sitting in an awkward position.
Hip pain from certain conditions can also get worse with prolonged sitting.
Most likely, this type of hip pain can be managed by adjusting your sitting posture and moving around throughout the day. Additional treatments like exercise, physical therapy, and medication can also help.
If you have ever experienced hip pain when sitting, you know how uncomfortable it can be. Because we spend much of our day sitting down, hip pain can significantly interfere with common activities like work, school, and travel.
If you’re experiencing hip pain, the way you sit may be to blame. Or maybe you have a hip condition that is being made worse by sitting. Learn more about causes of hip pain when sitting and treatment options for relief.
What causes hip pain when sitting?
If you have a condition that affects your hips, sitting can worsen your symptoms by increasing pressure within your joints, muscles, or nerves. But too much sitting can also cause hip pain on its own. Read about seven common causes of hip pain when sitting, below.
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1. Posture and sitting position
Poor posture or sitting in an awkward position can increase strain within your hips. Slouching increases pressure on your sacrum and tailbone area. And sitting with your hips in an uneven position, such as with your legs crossed, can cause a tendon or muscle strain.
2. Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It often affects the hips, knees, hands, or spine. Hip osteoarthritis causes stiffness and a dull, achy pain in the groin and hip area. These symptoms are typically worse after not moving for long periods of time, especially when sitting.
3. Tendonitis
Tendonitis occurs when tendons become strained and irritated from repeated activity. Hip tendonitis can affect the side of the hip (gluteal tendonitis). This typically results from hip weakness and too much exercise without enough rest. Hip tendonitis can also affect the hip flexors at the front of the hip (hip flexor tendonitis). This often occurs from repeated running, jumping, and kicking movements.
4. Bursitis
Over time, hip tendonitis can lead to hip bursitis. Bursitis is the inflammation of the bursae, the small, fluid-filled sacs that provide cushioning between tendons and bone.
Increased stress on the tendons around the hips can irritate the underlying bursae, leading to hip bursitis. This can cause pain and a burning sensation that worsen after walking, climbing stairs, or prolonged sitting, especially with crossed legs.
5. Sciatica
Sciatica is a common issue in people with back problems. This condition results from compression of the sciatic nerve in the lower back. This nerve travels from the spine down the legs. And when it’s irritated, it causes pain, numbness, and tingling down the back of the hip and leg. Prolonged sitting, especially with slouching, can increase pressure in the lower back and make sciatica and hip pain worse.
6. Piriformis syndrome
Piriformis syndrome produces symptoms similar to sciatica due to compression of the sciatic nerve. With piriformis syndrome, sciatic nerve compression occurs in the hip rather than in the lower back.
In the majority of people, the sciatic nerve passes directly underneath the piriformis muscle in the back of the hip. When strained or irritated, the piriformis directly compresses the sciatic nerve. This results in pain, numbness, and tingling that travels down from the back of the hip to the back of the thigh. These symptoms are worse when sitting due to the pressure placed directly on top of the piriformis and sciatic nerve.
7. Sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction
The sacroiliac (SI) joint refers to the connection point between the sacrum and the pelvis. There is one SI joint on each side of the back of the pelvis. SI joint dysfunction occurs when one of the joints is misaligned, causing pain in the back of the hip and into the buttock.
SI joint dysfunction can result from a variety of causes, including injury, pregnancy, and certain types of arthritis. And prolonged sitting, lying on the affected side, and going up and down stairs can make the pain worse.
8. Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI)
The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. When either part of the joint — the ball or the socket — has an irregular shape, it causes friction when the hip moves. This results in femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). In people with FAI, the cartilage in the hip can wear down over time, causing deep hip pain in the groin that worsens with physical activity and prolonged sitting.
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Treatments for hip pain when sitting
When possible, breaking up periods of sitting throughout the day can help decrease hip pain. Standing up and walking around at least once every hour can combat stiffness and keep the hip joints loose.
Correcting your sitting posture can also help with hip pain. When sitting, your pelvis should be level and your feet should be flat on the floor. Your spine should be upright and supported so that you are not slouching or arching your back.
Other treatment options involve managing hip pain or addressing the underlying cause of the pain. These include:
Regular physical activity to decrease joint stiffness and muscle tightness
Corrective exercises to fix muscle imbalances
Pain relieving medications, like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
When should you see a doctor about hip pain when sitting?
An occasional ache or pain in your hip when sitting may not be cause for concern. But if you experience hip pain everytime you sit for an extended period, you should talk with a healthcare professional about your symptoms. It’s hard to avoid sitting, and certain hip conditions can continue to cause pain if they’re not treated. Numbness, tingling, or weakness in your leg are also reasons to seek medical attention.
The good news is that many sources of hip pain when sitting can be addressed with physical therapy. Depending on the cause of your hip pain, your healthcare professional may also consider corticosteroid injections or surgery as options.
The bottom line
Hip pain when sitting can impact your daily life. This type of hip pain may result from sitting in an awkward position or with poor posture, from sitting for too long, or from having a medical condition like osteoarthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, or sciatica. Most cases of hip pain when sitting can be treated with activity modification, exercise, and medication. But it’s best to get evaluated if your hip pain persists.
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References
American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. (n.d.). Iliopsoas tendonitis / bursitis.
Cass, S. P. (2015). Piriformis syndrome: A cause of nondiscogenic sciatica. Current Sports Medicine Reports.
Foran, J. R. H. (2021). Osteoarthritis of the hip. OrthoInfo.
Ladurner, A., et al. (2021). Treatment of gluteal tendinopathy: A systematic review and stage-adjusted treatment recommendation. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine.
Newman, D. P., et al. (2022). Sacroiliac joint dysfunction: Diagnosis and treatment. American Family Physician.
Ostelo, R. W. J. G. (2020). Physiotherapy management of sciatica. Journal of Physiotherapy.
Sheth, N. P., et al. (2022). Hip bursitis. OrthoInfo.
Zhang, C., et al. (2015). Femoroacetabular impingement and osteoarthritis of the hip. Canadian Family Physician.
