Experiencing Hip Pain When Sitting: What Should l Do?

Key Takeaways

• Hip pain when sitting is often linked to how long you stay still, not only to ageing or the chair you sit on.
• Arthritis often causes stiffness first thing in the morning that eases within about 30 minutes, while muscle stiffness builds with long periods of sitting.
• A supportive desk set-up helps, but changing position about every 30 minutes matters more than any single posture.
• Simple hip mobility drills may ease symptoms, and pain that keeps returning or spreads down the leg is worth having assessed.

With so much of our lives spent sitting down at work, at mealtimes and during our relaxation hours, experiencing constant hip pain when sitting can be debilitating and really affect your quality of life. In many cases, you don’t have to put up with this pain long term.

Most of us do have to sit down for a lot of our day, and that’s where the problem often starts. Australia’s latest 24-hour movement guidelines for adults recommend limiting sedentary time and breaking up long periods of sitting as often as possible.

Ageing is not always the cause of hip pain when sitting and lying down. It’s often the posture we adopt when sitting down for extended periods that can cause stiffness and hip pain.

Our hips, when they are healthy and strong, allow us a full range of motion to sit, stand, run and jump. If hip joints stiffen up, that’s when we can start to experience pain. The biggest culprit behind hip pain when sitting is often a lack of movement. That’s why our physiotherapy team focuses on ‘Improving The Way You Move’.

Desk Set-Up Habits That Ease Hip Pain

A supportive desk set-up can make long hours of sitting more comfortable, even though research is mixed on whether ergonomic changes alone prevent injury over the long term.

We find that people who take the time to set things up properly often fare better, as they are more likely to get up and move throughout the day and to become more in tune with their body while sitting. The set-up habits worth building are:

Desk and Chair Position

We find that, when we sit at a desk for work, it’s important to have a set-up that takes into consideration being ergonomically supportive. Firstly, for the most part, you should be sitting straight on with your desk, and avoid crossing your legs or favouring your left or right side. Your back should be supported, your hips level with or slightly higher than your knees and your feet comfortably flat on the floor.

Your keyboard should sit at a comfortable distance on your desk so that your elbows can rest naturally at the edge of the desk without cramping your shoulders. If you are in a position that is altered from this ideal set-up, you will likely notice tightness or discomfort in a particular area more readily.

Regular Position Changes

‘Your ideal position is your next position’ is a really great adage we like to champion. Optimal health when sitting is about moving often and constantly changing your position to prevent the body from stiffening up and slowly adapting to a life free from movement.

With this ideal position in mind, we then encourage frequent changing of position and adjustment. A good rule of thumb is to move or contract your muscles every 30 minutes (whether standing up, or simply pushing your legs into the ground and contracting as you would do on an aeroplane to help reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis), and we find that usually, people will start to feel restless at around the 30-minute mark.

This restlessness is a good sign! It’s your brain telling you that it’s time to move your body. When you feel stiff in the chair, it’s your body’s reaction to a lack of movement. Unless you want to be planted in a chair your whole life, it’s a good idea not to let this reaction to a lack of movement turn into an adaptation because you failed to move.

Standing and Adjustable Desks

Another solution that we encourage is an adjustable or standing desk. Adjustable desks that allow you to both sit down and stand up are great for giving your hips a variety of positions during the day, avoiding long stretches of time when your joint isn’t moving.

This matters because long periods of inactivity can leave the tissues around the hip stiffer and more sensitive, making bouts of pain more likely.

What Causes Hip Pain When Sitting?

Hip pain when sitting usually comes from stiff joints or muscles, irritated tendons, referred back pain or the way you move, and working out which one applies shapes what will help. Where you feel the pain is often the best first clue.

Common Causes at a Glance

Most of these causes settle with the right mix of movement, load management and strengthening. Where a structural problem does not respond to conservative care, an orthopaedic surgeon can advise whether hip surgery is worth considering. Options include hip arthroscopy for FAI or a labral tear, and joint replacement for advanced arthritis.

Groin Pain When Sitting

Pain felt mainly in the groin when you sit usually comes from the hip joint itself or the structures at the front of it, not the muscles of the buttock. Hip osteoarthritis, FAI, a labral tear, and hip flexor or groin injuries such as adductor strains are the most common causes. Deep or low seats that bend the hip past 90 degrees, such as a car seat or couch, often make it worse, so a higher, firmer chair or a wedge cushion can help in the short term. Occasionally groin pain comes from a hernia or a problem outside the hip, which your GP can check. Groin pain that keeps returning, catches or clicks is worth having assessed, because each cause is treated differently.

Arthritis or Muscle Stiffness

While hip arthritis may cause hip pain through stiffness, this is different to muscle stiffness in the hip joint. Typically, arthritis causes stiffness that is most noticeable in the morning when getting out of bed and usually eases within about 30 minutes of moving, while the pain tends to worsen with activity, weight-bearing and long periods of sitting.

Muscle stiffness, in contrast, is most noticeable when you have been sitting down for an extended period, and can be eased by hip flexor exercises.

Other Causes Worth Ruling Out

Several other structures can flare with sitting. A deep ache at the sit bone may come from hamstring tendinosis, pain on the outside of the hip is often linked to gluteal tendon problems and catching or clicking in the groin can point to a hip labral tear.

Pain that travels below the knee, or comes with pins and needles, may be coming from the lower back, which is why telling hip pain from back pain usually takes a hands-on assessment.

Movement Compensations

Often we find that hip pain and issues occur as a result of movement compensations. Our exercise physiologists and physiotherapists address these movement compensations through a staged approach.

To get an idea of where your movement might be lacking, take a look at our video below detailing an important movement concept known as the movement hierarchy. By understanding this concept, you can start to see where a lack of the fundamental qualities of movement (such as mobility and stability) can lead to pain and dysfunction such as hip pain.

What Can I Do About Hip Pain When Sitting?

It all comes back to movement, both as a long-term habit and through simple drills you can do at your desk:

Long-Term Movement Habits

Move more, move often and move well. That’s a basic summary of how we recommend our patients think about their long-term treatment and health at MTP.

To us, this is about building independence and helping our patients get a lasting result. We don’t simply want to resolve the issue that you came to see us for. We want to teach you what we’ve learnt about health and movement over many years so that you are better equipped to keep your body moving well.

Simple Hip Mobility Drills

There are some simple exercises to encourage natural hip mobility that may relax the muscles around the joint and ease pain when you are sitting down. Hip mobility exercises are easy to fit into your routine and may immediately alleviate pain, while also providing the mobility stimulus your hips need to adapt over time.

One really simple hip drill that can be done at any time in about 30 seconds that may bring quick relief is the hip controlled articular rotation (CAR). Our guide to CARs explains how these drills build range you can use.

Kneeling Hip Flexor Routine

The half-kneeling hip flexor routine in the video below works on the front of the hip, an area that often stiffens with long hours of sitting.

When to Worry About Hip Pain When Sitting

Most hip pain when sitting is not serious, but some signs mean you should get it checked sooner.

Seek prompt medical care if you have:

• Hip pain after a fall, or you cannot put weight through the leg
• Pain with a fever, feeling unwell, or a hip that is hot and swollen
• Numbness or weakness in the leg, numbness around the groin or buttocks, or new changes to bladder or bowel control
• Unexplained weight loss, or a history of cancer, alongside new hip pain

Book an assessment if your pain:

• Has lasted more than a few weeks or keeps getting worse
• Wakes you at night or is there even when you are resting
• Makes you limp or stops you sitting through a normal workday
• Spreads below the knee or comes with pins and needles
• Catches, clicks or locks in the groin

Desk Days Without the Nagging Hip Ache

A hip that aches while sitting, or feels sore and painful after sitting, can make an ordinary workday feel longer than it is.

Hip pain is a complex issue that has many contributing factors. While we often find that the root cause is poor movement patterns and a lack of mobility and stability, knowing exactly what to do about these causes is arguably the biggest challenge. The good news is that stiffness, movement habits and time spent still are all things you can influence.

If you have tried these tips and built more movement into your day, yet are still having trouble relaxing your hips and avoiding pain, or the ache wakes you at night or spreads down the leg, you may need to consult a professional for a more individual approach.

If sitting is still leaving your hips sore, the team at MTP Health can assess what is driving it and talk you through the options that suit your circumstances, or your GP can help you decide on the next step.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why are my hips sore after sitting for a long time?

Staying in one position lets the muscles and tendons around the hip stiffen, and it can compress sensitive structures such as the gluteal or hamstring tendons. The ache often shows up when you first stand and eases after a few minutes of walking.

Pain that stays high after you start moving may point to a joint problem and is worth having checked.

2. Can sitting cross-legged cause hip pain?

It can aggravate some conditions. Crossing your legs pulls the thigh across the body, which may compress the gluteal tendons on the outside of the hip.

Swapping sides and uncrossing regularly usually helps, and some people are more comfortable avoiding it altogether while symptoms settle.

3. When should I see someone about hip pain when sitting?

Consider an assessment if the pain lasts more than a few weeks, keeps getting worse, disturbs your sleep or makes you limp.

Seek prompt medical care for hip pain after a fall, pain that comes with fever or feeling unwell, or numbness and weakness in the leg.

4. Do I need a referral to see a physiotherapist for hip pain?

No. You can book privately with a physiotherapist in Australia without a referral.

A GP referral becomes relevant if you want to claim a Medicare rebate. For an ongoing condition, this is usually arranged through a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, which replaced GP management plans and team care arrangements from 1 July 2025. A referral may also be needed for workers compensation or motor vehicle accident claims.

This article is general information only. It does not take into account your objectives, circumstances or health needs. Speak with your GP or a qualified health professional before acting on it or changing your treatment.