Hip and groin pain
Hip pain physiotherapy, Hobart
Hip pain is one of the most misdiagnosed presentations we see.
People come in having been told it's their hip, and often it's not. Or they've been treating the wrong thing for months.
Book initial assessment Our approach
No referral needed. All major health funds.
- No referral needed
- All major health funds
- GP care plans accepted
- Hobart
Hip pain is rarely just the hip.
The hip is a load-sharing joint. When something upstream, the lower back, the pelvis, the core, isn't doing its job, the hip cops the overload. That's why treating the hip on its own so often doesn't stick.
People come in told it's a labral tear, bursitis or impingement. They've been resting it, stretching it or having it injected, and it keeps coming back because nobody looked at what was driving the load into it.
Gluteal tendinopathy
Pain on the outside of the hip, often worse sitting cross-legged, on stairs, or lying on that side. The tendon is overloaded, usually because the glute isn't strong enough for what's being asked of it.
Hip flexor and groin pain
Pain at the front of the hip or into the groin. Often an overuse issue: runners, footballers, desk workers who then try to train.
FAI and labral irritation
Impingement and labral tears are often found on scans, but a scan doesn't tell you whether they're the cause of the pain.
Referred pain from the back
Pain that feels like it's in the hip but is actually coming from the lower back. We check the back before we treat the hip.
The hip is copping load that the glutes, deep core and lower back should be sharing. One side of the joint works harder than the other: front versus back, inside versus outside. Until the imbalance is corrected and the capacity is built around the new pattern, the hip keeps loading the same structure.
What's actually driving your hip pain.
Think of the hip as a square pulled from all four corners. When one corner stops contributing, the others overwork. Hip pain is almost always a loading problem: the structure that hurts is the destination, the loading pattern is the cause.
Weak glutes
The glutes are the hip's main load-sharer. When they're inhibited or underdeveloped, the joint and tendons absorb load they shouldn't.
Loading imbalance
One side of the hip doing more work than the other. Repeated under load, it gradually sensitises the structures being overworked.
Sudden load increase
A new program, a return to sport, a physical week. The hip wasn't conditioned for what it was asked to handle.
Hip and spine coordination
The hip and lower back work as a team. When the back stiffens the hip overworks, and the other way round.
Incomplete rehab
A previous hip or back injury settled before the strength was built, so the same problem rebuilds over time.
Fear and avoidance
Having had hip pain changes how you move. You protect, you compensate, and that stresses other structures.
Sound familiar?
- Pain on the outside of the hip, worse with stairs, sitting or lying on that side
- A deep groin ache that builds with running, squatting or bringing the knee up
- Stiff in the morning, takes a while to warm up before the hip feels normal
- Pain into the buttock, groin or down the thigh
- Clicking or catching in the hip with certain movements
- It flares after exercise, not during, but hours later
- You've been told bursitis, impingement or a labral tear, and treatment hasn't stuck
- It's stopping you hiking, running, playing sport or keeping up with your life
The By Design approach to hip pain.
We don't start with the hip. We start with how the whole system is loading, because the hip rarely hurts on its own. The assessment tells us where the problem is coming from before we decide how to treat it.
Find the source
Hip mobility, single-leg stability, glute strength, hip and spine coordination. Which structure is loaded, what's driving it, what the hip is compensating for.
One or two exercises
Not a program. The one or two things that move the needle right now, recorded and sent so you can't get it wrong.
Explain what's happening
We show you what's loading your hip and why, with your own movement as the reference.
Hands-on when needed
Joint mobilisation, soft tissue work, dry needling where appropriate. Used to settle things enough to load the right structures.
Progressive loading
Single-leg work, hinging under load, lateral strength. The overloaded tendon or joint needs progressive stress to adapt.
Graded exposure
The activity that flares your hip: we work around it, then bring it back step by step, until it's normal again.
Where you're headed.
Calm
Load management and basic glute activation.
Coordination and capacity
Hip hinge, single-leg control, hip and spine coordination. Light load many times, then heavier.
Challenge
Strength training for life, in the gym. Where clients stay.
We measure it. You see it.
Your starting point is different from everyone else's, so we track your measures instead of handing you a generic recovery timeline. A typical set looks like this.
| Measure | First session | Re-test | What decides the next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-leg control | Step-down, and where the hip drops | Same step, same height | Steady and level, we add load |
| Stairs and walking | How far before it aches | Same route, same count | Tolerance up, longer walks and runs |
| Glute strength | Side bridge and bridge holds | Same holds, more load | Controlled under load, into the gym |
Keep building once the pain's gone.
Phase three happens in our own gym. When you're ready, Strength By Design is where that work carries on, coached and physio-designed.
What makes us different.
We look at the whole system
Not just the hip. The loading pattern, the coordination, what the hip is compensating for.
Strength is the treatment
Pain relief is the start. Building capacity around the corrected pattern is what builds a hip that handles the load.
We explain the why
You leave every session knowing more about your hip than when you arrived.
Graded exposure
The activity that scared you, brought back step by step until it's normal again.
One standard of care
Every physio works to the same assessment-led method, every session.
Progress you can see
We measure where you start and re-test as you go, so you always know where you're at.
Common questions about hip pain.
My scan shows a labral tear or FAI. Do I need surgery?
Not necessarily. Labral tears and FAI are commonly found on scans, but a scan doesn't tell you whether those findings are causing your pain, and many people with significant findings have no symptoms at all. We'll help you understand what your scan means for your situation.
I've been told I have hip bursitis. Is that right?
Often what's going on is gluteal tendinopathy: the tendon is overloaded, not the bursa, and the approach is different. Rest alone tends to make tendons more sensitive. The right approach is progressive loading to build the tendon's capacity.
My hip treatment hasn't been working. Why?
Usually the source was never identified. Hip pain is often driven by something upstream: the lower back, the SIJ, or how the whole system coordinates. If you've been treating the hip on its own and it keeps coming back, the driver is probably elsewhere.
Should I stop exercising with hip pain?
Usually not, but you need the right type and amount of load for where your hip is at. Complete rest tends to make tendons and joints more sensitive, not less. We'll find what your hip can handle and build from there.
Do I need a referral?
No. You can book directly without a GP referral, unless your insurer or GP has specified otherwise. If you have a GP care plan (CDM or EPC), we accept it: you pay the full fee, we lodge the Medicare claim for you, and Medicare pays the rebate to you.
Ready to get on top of your hip pain?
No referral needed. All major health funds. Hobart.
Or call or text 0483 947 716, or email hello@bydesignphysio.com