Hip Osteoarthritis Physiotherapy: How Physio Helps You Walk, Hike and Stay Active

Are hip pain and stiffness making everyday activities, long walks or hiking more difficult? Hip osteoarthritis (OA) can gradually affect your mobility and make activities that you once enjoyed feel challenging.

The good news is that having hip osteoarthritis does not necessarily mean you need to stop being active. Physiotherapy can help you manage symptoms, improve strength and mobility, and build your capacity for everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs and, where appropriate, returning to longer walks and hiking.

At AZ Physiotherapy Limited in Auckland, we help people with hip pain and osteoarthritis work towards improving their movement, strength and ability to participate in the activities they enjoy.

What is hip osteoarthritis?

Hip osteoarthritis is a condition involving changes to the structures within and around the hip joint. It can be associated with pain, stiffness and reduced function.

Common symptoms may include:

• Hip or groin pain
• Stiffness after resting
• Pain when walking
• Difficulty getting up from a chair
• Difficulty climbing stairs
• Reduced hip movement
• Difficulty putting on shoes or socks
• Pain during longer walks
• Reduced ability to participate in exercise or sport

Symptoms can vary from person to person, and the amount of pain does not always directly correspond to the changes seen on an X-ray.

How can physiotherapy help hip osteoarthritis?

Physiotherapy can be an important part of managing hip osteoarthritis. Exercise and education are recommended as a first-line treatment for hip and knee osteoarthritis — the basis of structured programmes such as GLA:D, which is delivered in New Zealand in partnership with the University of Otago.

The aim is not simply to treat the hip for a short period. A physiotherapist can help you understand your symptoms and develop a progressive programme to improve your ability to perform everyday activities.

1. Improving hip and leg strength

Reduced strength around the hip and lower limb can make activities such as walking, stairs and getting out of a chair more difficult. A physiotherapy programme may include exercises targeting the:

• Gluteal muscles
• Hip muscles
• Quadriceps
• Hamstrings
• Calf muscles
• Core and trunk muscles

Strengthening exercises can be progressed gradually according to your symptoms and functional goals.

2. Improving mobility

Hip stiffness can make activities such as putting on shoes, getting in and out of a car or walking more difficult. Your physiotherapist can assess your hip movement and prescribe appropriate mobility exercises. The goal is to improve functional movement while avoiding unnecessarily aggravating your symptoms.

3. Building walking capacity

If hip osteoarthritis has reduced the distance you can comfortably walk, simply trying to push through a long walk may not be the best approach. Instead, physiotherapy can help you gradually build your walking tolerance. For example, your programme may progress from:

Short walks → Longer walks → Hills → Uneven surfaces → Longer recreational walks

The exact progression depends on your symptoms, strength, fitness and goals.

4. Returning to hiking

For many people in Auckland, being able to walk around parks, beaches, regional trails and hiking tracks is an important part of staying active. Hip osteoarthritis does not automatically mean you have to give up hiking. Your rehabilitation may gradually introduce:

• Longer walking distances
• Inclines and hills
• Descending slopes
• Uneven ground
• Stairs
• Different walking speeds
• Carrying a light backpack

As your strength and tolerance improve, these activities can be progressively increased where appropriate.

5. Returning to normal activities of daily living

Physiotherapy can also focus on activities of daily living (ADLs). These may include:

• Walking around the house
• Shopping
• Getting in and out of a chair
• Climbing stairs
• Getting in and out of a car
• Dressing
• Household activities
• Walking to work
• Playing with children or grandchildren
• Returning to recreational activities

The rehabilitation programme should be based around what you need and want to be able to do.

Does hip osteoarthritis mean you should stop exercising?

Not necessarily. Appropriate exercise is commonly an important component of managing hip osteoarthritis.

However, exercise should be suitable for your current ability. If an activity consistently causes a significant increase in symptoms, your physiotherapist can help modify the exercise, adjust the amount of activity or change the progression. The goal is to gradually improve your capacity rather than avoiding movement altogether.

What happens during a physiotherapy assessment?

At AZ Physiotherapy Limited, your assessment may include looking at:

• Your hip movement
• Lower-limb strength
• Walking pattern
• Functional movements
• Balance
• Activities that aggravate your symptoms
• Your current activity level
• Your work and lifestyle requirements
• Your goals, such as returning to long walks or hiking

Based on the assessment, your physiotherapist can develop an exercise and rehabilitation programme appropriate for your current condition. If you're heading towards a hip replacement, the same approach helps you prepare — and our post-surgical rehabilitation supports you afterwards.

Can physiotherapy help you avoid becoming less active?

Hip pain can sometimes lead people to reduce their activity because movement becomes uncomfortable. Over time, doing less can result in reduced strength and fitness, which may make everyday activities more difficult.

A progressive rehabilitation approach aims to help you remain as active as appropriate while gradually improving your physical capacity. For someone who wants to return to hiking, the goal may not simply be "less hip pain." The goal could be:

"I want to walk for two hours without my hip stopping me."

That goal can then be broken down into manageable stages:

1. Stage 1: Improve comfortable daily movement
2. Stage 2: Build hip and leg strength
3. Stage 3: Increase walking tolerance
4. Stage 4: Introduce hills and stairs
5. Stage 5: Progress to longer walks
6. Stage 6: Gradually return to hiking and recreational activities

Progress will vary between individuals, and the programme should be adjusted according to symptoms and response to exercise.

When should you see a physiotherapist for hip pain?

Consider getting your hip assessed if:

• Hip pain is affecting your walking
• You are struggling with stairs
• You have difficulty getting out of a chair
• Your hip feels stiff after sitting or resting
• You have reduced your normal activities because of hip pain
• You are avoiding longer walks
• You have stopped hiking because of your symptoms
• You want guidance on exercising with hip osteoarthritis

A physiotherapy assessment can also help determine whether your symptoms are consistent with hip osteoarthritis or whether another condition may need to be considered.

Hip osteoarthritis physiotherapy in Auckland

If hip osteoarthritis is affecting your everyday life, you do not necessarily have to accept becoming less active. At AZ Physiotherapy Limited in Pakuranga, East Auckland, we can help you work towards improving strength, movement, walking capacity and functional ability.

Whether your goal is to walk more comfortably, return to longer walks, manage hills, get back to hiking or simply improve your everyday activities, your physiotherapy programme can be structured around your individual goals and current abilities. See our fees, then book an assessment — no GP referral needed.

Sources

• Healthify (NZ): Osteoarthritis and Arthritis and exercise
• GLA:D New Zealand (University of Otago): GLA:D NZ