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I’m a hip surgeon who gets hip pain who now ‘listens to my hip joint’. That’s the thing that makes the biggest difference to my hip pain, but it needs some explaining…

Our hips need to move with the right amount of force through them.

Part 1 is keeping bodyweight, to the kilogram, in the right place.
Part 2 is moving enough to stay healthy. But doesn’t moving more ‘wear out our hips?’

No.

Movement helps keep hip inflammation in our joints settled. Normal bodyweight does the same. That’s my two-part self-management plan…


Optimise bodyweight, keep active.


However sticking to that plan, especially when I get pain, is my weak point.

The last thing I feel like doing when my hip hurts is going for a run or a bike ride. Especially when all we’ve ever been told is, if something hurts, rest and take it easy.

But going for a run or bike ride is what settles down my hip pain. There are times when I’m less active, and I notice that I get more hip pain.

It isn’t as clear cut as no exercise Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and ‘oo, my hip hurts’ on Thursday. More like I’ve been doing less over the last few weeks or winter months... and I get more flare ups, more often.

It took a while for the penny to drop.

I’ve always been lucky enough to be active, more out of habit than anything else.

However, training for a half marathon a few summers back was when I really made the link. I didn’t get any hip pain at all.

The same was true the winter after that when I cycled to work most days. Those consistent periods of running and cycling settled my inflammation and pain almost completely.

I didn’t get any flare ups. Or hardly any flare ups.

My hip still clicked occasionally, but I didn’t get pain.

Being aware of and taking note of the absence of pain is tricky. It’s difficult to spot a negative.

That’s my excuse anyway. It took me years to tie together the ups and downs in my pain with the ups and downs in my activity.

And surprise, surprise: this is where the evidence points.

I can do more with less pain. People I help in my clinic room can do more with less pain. And listening to what their hip joint needs is what ultimately makes the difference.



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