Hip pain can be a real buzzkill, whether you're crushing it on a run, flowing through a yoga session, or just trying to get through the day without discomfort. And while you might be stretching, foam rolling, and strengthening consistently, there’s one important ingredient that may be overlooked: your pelvic floor.
Yep, your pelvic floor isn’t just about bowel or bladder control—it’s a small but mighty group of muscles that stabilize your pelvis, support your hips, and actually form the floor of your core. When it's out of synch—whether it’s too tight, weak, or just not firing properly—it can derail your hip function. So, why does this connection matter and what you can do about it?
The Pelvic Floor and Hips Actually Work Together
Your hip joint is a ball-and-socket marvel, designed for a full range of motion in multiple planes. The ability to move this way relies on a network of muscles, and the pelvic floor is a crucial part of that system. Here’s why:
- Muscle Synergy: The pelvic floor shares deep connections with key hip muscles, like the obturator internus, which helps control rotation and stabilization.
- Core Stability: Think of the pelvic floor as the foundation of your deep core team—alongside your diaphragm, abdominals, and back muscles—all working to keep your movements smooth, strong and pain-free.
- Nerve Impact: The pudendal nerve, which provides sensory and motor enervation to the pelvic floor, runs very near the hip joint. If there’s dysfunction along that nerve path, it can trigger pain and limit mobility, and visa versa.
When this system isn’t functioning optimally, your hips can suffer—especially if you’re an active person relying on these muscles for strength, endurance, and control.
Signs Your Hip Pain Might Be Pelvic Floor Related
Not all hip pain comes from the joint itself. Here are some telltale signs that your pelvic floor might be the missing piece of the puzzle:
- A deep, nagging ache in your hip or groin
- Pain that flares up when you sit too long or do certain exercises (think squats, lunges, or running)
- Tightness that makes hip rotation feel restricted
- Pelvic symptoms like urinary urgency, pain with intimacy, or lower abdominal discomfort
- Trouble engaging your core properly during workouts
If any of these sound familiar, it’s worth looking beyond traditional hip-focused treatments to see if your pelvic floor is playing a contributing factor.
Why This Connection is Might Be Overlooked
Pelvic floor dysfunction flies under the radar because it requires a specialized assessment by a qualified provider who knows how to see the problem. Without taking the pelvic floor into account, you could be missing the root cause of your pain and spinning your wheels with the gold standard hip focused treatments such as alignment correction, stretching, strengthening and foam rolling. If the hip is the root cause, these treatments should provide relief, but if pain defies treatment, a piece of the puzzle is likely missing.
What You Can Do Right Now
If you’re starting to suspect your hip pain is linked to your pelvic floor, here’s how to take action:
- Look at the big picture: Pay attention to patterns in your pain, and notice if any pelvic floor symptoms accompany your hip discomfort.
- See a pelvic floor specialist: A trained pelvic floor physical therapist can thoroughly assess your pelvic floor movement, muscle function, and coordination with core stability to pinpoint the real issue.
- Incorporate movement: Exercises like yoga, Pilates, and breath work can help improve pelvic floor coordination while promoting hip mobility and stability.
When you address both hip and pelvic floor health, you’ll be well on your way to moving pain-free and reclaiming the active lifestyle you love.
Stay Tuned
This is just the beginning of our deep dive into the hip-pelvic floor connection. In the next part of this series, we’ll break down how pelvic floor dysfunction can directly trigger hip pain—and what you can do to fix it. Stay tuned!
