Hip Pain While Running: What Runners Should Know

By Dr. Andrew Kakishita, DC | Pleasant Grove, UT Chiropractor

 

Running should challenge your body, but hip pain when running is a sign worth paying attention to. Whether the pain started after increasing your mileage, returning to running, or changing your training routine, it can make every stride uncomfortable and leave you wondering whether you should keep running or take a break.

At Kinetic Chiropractic, we work with active adults and runners dealing with hip, leg, and activity-related pain. Our approach looks beyond the painful area to understand how mobility, strength, training load, and movement may be contributing to the problem.

 

Where Is Your Hip Pain Coming From?

Not all running-related hip pain feels the same. Pain may be felt at the front of the hip, along the outside of the hip, deep in the joint, or closer to the buttock and lower back.

The location can provide useful information, but it does not always identify the exact cause. Hip pain may involve muscles, tendons, joints, or surrounding tissues. Previous injuries can also change how you move and place additional stress on another area.

That is why our first step is understanding what movements and activities reproduce your symptoms.

 

Common Reasons Your Hip May Hurt While Running

One of the most common factors is simply doing more than your body is currently prepared to handle.

A sudden increase in mileage, adding hills or speed work, running more days per week, or returning to running after time away can increase the demands placed on the hips.

Your running schedule may not seem extreme, but if your body's current capacity has not caught up with your training volume, pain can develop.

Hip and Glute Strength

Your hips and glutes help control your pelvis and leg as you run. If those muscles lack the strength or endurance needed for your current training demands, other tissues may have to work harder.

Building strength is not only about lifting heavier weights. The goal is to develop enough control and capacity to handle the repetitive demands of running.

Mobility

Limited mobility around the hip, ankle, or other parts of the lower body can also influence running mechanics.

Restricted movement does not automatically mean it is the cause of your pain, but it can be one factor worth assessing. Our care may include mobility work and exercises when they are appropriate for the individual problem.

Previous Injuries

A previous hip, knee, ankle, or lower-back injury can continue to influence how you move even after the original pain has improved.

If you unconsciously compensate for an old injury, running may place more stress on another area. This is one reason we look at the entire movement pattern rather than focusing only on where the pain is felt.

 

Should You Keep Running With Hip Pain?

That depends on the severity and behavior of your symptoms.

If pain is getting progressively worse, changing your running mechanics, lingering after activity, or affecting everyday movement, continuing to push through it may not be the best approach.

Reducing mileage, temporarily changing intensity, and allowing appropriate recovery can help reduce irritation while you determine what is contributing to the problem.

The goal is not necessarily to stop running indefinitely. It is to find an appropriate level of activity while rebuilding your ability to tolerate running.

For additional information about hip pain and when activity modification may be appropriate, see the Cleveland Clinic's overview of hip pain.

 

When Should Hip Pain Be Assessed?

Consider an evaluation if your hip pain keeps returning, does not improve with reasonable activity modification, limits your running, or continues to interfere with daily activities.

At Kinetic Chiropractic, our care can include chiropractic adjustments along with mobility work, corrective exercises, and other hands-on therapies when appropriate. Our goal is to understand why the problem is happening and help you work toward returning to the activities you enjoy.

 

FAQs About Hip Pain When Running

Why does my hip hurt only when I run?

Running repeatedly loads the hips and surrounding tissues. If your current training demands exceed your available strength, mobility, or recovery capacity, symptoms may appear during running even when walking feels normal.

Should I stretch a painful hip before running?

Stretching may be useful when limited mobility is part of the problem, but stretching is not automatically the solution for every type of hip pain. The right approach depends on what is causing your symptoms.

Can I return to running after hip pain?

Yes, returning to running can be part of recovery when symptoms have settled and your body can tolerate the workload. A gradual increase in distance and intensity can help your capacity catch up with your training goals.

Johns Hopkins Medicine's running program also describes musculoskeletal evaluation, running assessment, gait and balance analysis, and gradual return-to-running strategies as part of care for runners experiencing pain.

 

Conclusion

Hip pain while running should not automatically mean you have to give up running. It can be a signal that your current training demands, strength, mobility, recovery, or movement patterns need closer attention.

At Kinetic Chiropractic, we take the time to evaluate what may be contributing to your symptoms and create care around your specific needs. If hip pain is keeping you from running comfortably, contact us to schedule a chiropractic evaluation and take the next step toward getting back to running and moving with confidence.

Kinetic Chiropractic Utah

📞 Phone: 385-256-0603
📧 Email: dr.k@kineticchiropracticutah.com
📍 Address: 405 S 100 E unit 104, Pleasant Grove, UT 84062, USA
🌐 Website: kineticchiropracticutah.com