Three hip bursitis prevention tips for locals in St. Louis, MO

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Preventing Hip Bursitis

You’re out on your daily jog, and you feel a growing pain on the point of your hip. This type of pain is caused by a condition called hip bursitis, and the best way to avoid this scenario it to find ways to prevent hip bursitis. Here are three tips that can help prevent this issue in St. Louis, Missouri: 

1.   Drop some weight

Shedding a few pounds is a great way to prevent hip bursitis in St. Louis. Extra weight is definitely bad for your joints, and the hip is no exception. Carrying a few extra pounds can place more stress on the hip, and this can lead to the inflamed bursa that cause bursitis. Being overweight can also increase wear-and-tear on other hip joint structures, and it has been shown to increase the amount of inflammation-causing compounds in the body. 

2.   Avoid too much repetitive movement

Hip bursitis commonly develops in people who do lots of repetitive hip movements. For instance, runners are at a high risk of developing this condition. Dancers also have an increased risk of hip bursitis. To help reduce the risk of hip bursitis, it’s a good idea to mix up your workouts whenever possible. For example, try running on alternating days rather than every day. This type of schedule gives the hip structures, such as the bursa, more time to recover. 

3.   Stretch and strengthen your hip muscles

Overly tight or weak hip muscles can be the root cause of bursa irritation, and this means keeping muscles strong and stretched out can help prevent hip bursitis. For example, you don’t want to skip stretching your hip muscles before running or other repetitive activities. One stretch you could do involves standing up straight with both feet on the ground. Then, cross your right leg over the front of your left leg and reach down toward the ground beside your left foot. Repeat these steps with the opposite leg to stretch the other hip. You can also consider adding hip strengthening exercises to your strength training sessions, and these would include options like side planks and squats. 

Find help preventing hip bursitis at Excel Sports & Physical Therapy in St. Louis, MO

Looking for a physical therapy team to help you treat or prevent hip bursitis in St. Louis? Excel Sports & Physical Therapy has a clinic right here in town that can help you. We offer free screenings that help us determine what risk factors or symptoms you have. Then, we’ll use the information gathered in the screening to build you a personalized therapy plan, and this plan may include therapy methods like: 

Take the next step to prevent or treat hip bursitis. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.