HIP & GROIN PAIN PHYSIOTHERAPY . HOBART
HIP & GROIN 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.
WHAT IS IT
Quick Facts: Hip & Groin Pain
Most Common Presentation
Hip pain that's actually being driven by the lower back, glutes, or how the whole system is loading. Not just the hip joint.
Typical Recovery Arc
Sharp or achy pain, settled with loading, back to running, lifting, hiking. Most people feel the shift within the first few sessions.
What We Look For
Which structure is actually loaded, what's driving it, and what the hip is compensating for. Before we touch it.
Referral
No referral needed. Book directly online or call 0483 947 716.
No referral needed • All major health funds
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 in isolation so often doesn't stick.
The pattern we see constantly: people have been told it's a labral tear, bursitis, or impingement and they've been resting it, stretching it, or having it injected. The pain keeps coming back because nobody looked at what was actually driving the load into it.
The Pattern We See Most
The hip is copping load that the glutes, deep core, and lumbar spine should be sharing. One side of the joint is working harder than the other: front versus back, internal versus external. Until you correct the imbalance and build the capacity around the new pattern, the hip will keep loading the same structure every time.
Very Common
Gluteal Tendinopathy
Pain on the outside of the hip, often worse with sitting cross-legged, stairs, or lying on that side. The tendon is overloaded, usually because the glute isn't strong enough to handle the demands being placed on it.
Common
Hip Flexor & 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. Responds well to load management and progressive strengthening.
Common
FAI & Labral Irritation
Femoroacetabular impingement and labral tears are often found on scans, but scans don't tell you if they're the cause of pain. Most respond well to physiotherapy and strengthening. Surgery is rarely the first answer.
Common
Referred Pain from the Back
Pain that feels like it's in the hip but is actually coming from the lower
We find what's actually loading your hip. Then we address that and build the strength to keep it that way.
WHY IT HAPPENS
Think of the hip as a square being pulled from all four corners. When one corner stops contributing through weakness, avoidance, or a previous injury, the others overwork. That's where the wear happens and the pain builds.
Hip pain is almost always a loading problem, not a structural one. The structure that hurts is the destination. The loading pattern that overworked it is the cause.
01
Weak Glutes
The glutes are the primary load-sharing structure for the hip. When they're inhibited or underdeveloped, the hip joint, tendons, and surrounding structures absorb the load they should be handling.
02
Loading Imbalance
One side of the hip doing more work than the other: front versus back, left versus right. Repeating this pattern under load gradually sensitises the structures being overworked.
03
Sudden Load Increase
Starting a new training program, returning to sport, or a physically demanding week. The hip wasn't conditioned for the load it was asked to handle and the tendon or joint couldn't keep up.
04
Poor Hip-Spine Coordination
The hip and lumbar spine need to work as a team. When the back stiffens, the hip overworks and vice versa. Poor coordination between the two is one of the most common drivers of chronic hip pain.
05
Incomplete Rehabilitation
A previous hip or back injury that settled before the strength was built. The structure healed, but the loading pattern was never corrected, so the same problem rebuilds over time.
06
Fear & Movement Avoidance
Having had hip pain before changes how you move. You protect. You compensate. The avoidance pattern stresses different structures and often creates new problems on top of the original one.
WHATS ACTUALLY
DRIVING your hip pain.
SYMPTOMS
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Pain on the outside of the hip — worse with stairs, sitting, or lying on that side
Deep groin ache that builds with running, squatting, or hip flexion
Stiffness in the morning — takes time to warm up before the hip feels normal
Pain that refers into the buttock, groin, or down the thigh
A clicking or catching sensation in the hip with certain movements
Hip pain that flares after exercise — not during, but hours later
It's been diagnosed as bursitis, impingement, or a labral tear — but treatment hasn't stuck
Hip pain stopping you from hiking, running, playing sport, or keeping up with your life
— HOW WE TREAT IT
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 in isolation. The assessment tells us where the problem is coming from before we decide how to treat it.
Most hip pain responds very well to the right loading approach. The key is identifying the imbalance, correcting the pattern, and building the capacity around it.
Step 01
Find the Source
Hip mobility, single leg stability, glute strength, hip-spine coordination. We're identifying which structure is loaded, what's driving it, and what the hip is compensating for. This changes the entire treatment direction.
Step 02
One or Two Exercises
Not a program. The one or two things that will move the needle right now. Usually glute activation, hip hinge mechanics, or single leg control. We record it and send it so you can't get it wrong.
Step 03
Explain What's Happening
We show you exactly what's loading your hip and why. On the iPad, with your movement patterns as the reference. Most patients leave the first session understanding their hip better than they have in years.
Step 04
Hands-On When Needed
Joint mobilisation, soft tissue work, dry needling where appropriate. Used to reduce irritability enough that you can load the right structures, not as the primary treatment.
Step 05
Progressive Loading
We systematically build your hip's capacity: single leg work, hip hinge under load, lateral strength. The tendon or joint that was overloaded needs progressive stress to adapt. That's how it heals and stays healed.
Step 06
Graded Exposure
The activity that flares your hip: we get you back to it without you realising. We work around it for weeks until the pattern is corrected and the capacity is there. Then it just works.
Phase 01
Calm It Down
Load management and basic glute activation. Sharp or achy pain settles.
Phase 02
Sort the Pattern
Hip hinge, single leg control, hip-spine coordination. The hip starts loading correctly.
Phase 03
Build the Capacity
Progressive loading under weight. The hip adapts to the demands of your actual life.
Phase 04
Keep It That Way
Stagger out. You know the warning signs. You know what to do. It usually doesn't come back.
WHY BY DESIGN
WHAT MAKES US
DIFFERENT
01
We Look at the Whole System
Not just the hip. The loading pattern, the coordination, what the hip is compensating for. That's where the answer usually is.
02
Strength Is the Treatment
Pain relief is the start. Building the capacity around the corrected pattern is what stops it coming back.
03
We Explain the Why
You leave every session knowing more about your hip than when you arrived. Understanding what's happening is part of the treatment.
04
Graded Exposure
The activity that scared you: we get you back to it without you realising. That's when it actually sticks.
05
Experienced Physios Only
Every physio on our team is highly experienced and held to a high standard. No juniors. No compromise on clinical quality.
06
400+ Five-Star Reviews
Hobart's highest-rated physiotherapy clinic. The results speak for themselves.
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 scans don't tell you if those findings are causing your pain. Many people have significant findings on imaging with no symptoms at all. The vast majority of hip presentations respond well to physiotherapy and progressive strengthening. We'll help you understand what your scan actually means for your situation.
I've been told I have hip bursitis. Is that the right diagnosis?
Bursitis is often misdiagnosed. What's usually going on is gluteal tendinopathy: the tendon is overloaded, not the bursa. The treatment is different. Rest and anti-inflammatories often make tendinopathy worse long-term. The right approach is progressive loading to build the tendon's capacity to handle the stress being placed on it.
My hip pain treatment hasn't been working. Why?
The most common reason is that the source was never correctly identified. Pain in the hip is often driven by something upstream: the lower back, the SIJ, or how the whole system coordinates. If you've been treating the hip in isolation and it keeps coming back, the driver is probably elsewhere. That's exactly the kind of assessment we do.
Should I stop exercising with hip pain?
Usually not, but you need to find the right type and amount of load for where your hip is at right now. Complete rest tends to make tendons and joints more sensitive, not less. We'll identify what your hip can handle and build from there.
Do I need a referral?
No. You can book directly without a GP referral. If you have a chronic disease management plan (CDM/EPC) through your GP, we accept those. Medicare covers part of the cost for up to five sessions per year.
READY TO SORT YOUR
Hip FOR GOOD?
No referral needed • All major health funds • North Hobart
Or call 0483 947 716 • hello@bydesignphysio.com
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