Long-term after-effects of a hip injury: understanding where your pain really comes from and getting back to activity

What are long-term after-effects on the hip?

Understanding where your pain really comes from

Pain that shows up in the hip doesn’t always start in the hip. An old lower back injury, even one that seems to have healed well, can leave residual stiffness or a loss of pelvic control that quietly changes how the hip handles every movement. We talk about “long-term after-effects” when the consequence of an old injury shows up, months or years later, in a different area from the one originally affected.

Why does the pain appear in the hip rather than the lower back?

After an old lower back injury, even one well treated at the time, residual stiffness in the lower back can persist without ever causing pain in the back itself. The hip then has to move more to compensate for this lost range: it’s this repeated overload, transmitted from one region to another, that eventually becomes painful at the hip, long after the back was declared healed.

Which sports most often reveal this pain?

Any sport that places intense demand on the hip can reveal this old deficit carried over from the lower back to the hip:

• Running and trail running
• Football and rugby
• Skiing
• Combat sports
• Hiking on rough terrain
• Dance

Treating this referred pain in rehab with a sports physio

The goal of treatment isn’t to focus solely on the painful hip, but to identify and treat the underlying residual lower back deficit, removing the cause of the overload rather than just relieving the symptom.

1. 1Assessing current function
2. 2Recovering full mobility
3. 3Isometric strengthening
4. 4Progressive concentric strengthening
5. 5Proprioceptive work
6. 6Eccentric strengthening
7. 7Correcting established compensations
8. 8Strengthening under sport-specific load
9. 9Progressive return to your sport
10. 10Return to competition

Why the physio’s initial assessment matters

During the initial assessment, the physiotherapist doesn’t limit themselves to the painful hip: they systematically look for a history of trauma in neighbouring regions, particularly the lower back, even old and forgotten injuries, because that’s often where the real root of the problem is hiding.

“Pain sometimes shows up far from where the problem actually began.”

Lower back mobility, the cornerstone of treatment

Working on lower back mobility and control restores the range of motion that’s been missing since the old injury, which directly reduces the overload transmitted to the hip with every movement.

In brief

• Full assessment of the lower back, the real root of the problem
• Recovering lumbar mobility
• Correcting the established compensation at the hip
• Gradual return: mobility, then load, then sport

Should you rest or keep playing sport?

Resting the hip alone generally isn’t enough if the underlying lower back deficit isn’t treated: it’s targeted work on the back, combined with suitably managed load, that resolves the pain for good.

When should you see a specialist for this pain?

If the hip pain persists despite work on the lower back, or is accompanied by pain radiating down the leg, tingling or night pain, a medical opinion is recommended to rule out another cause.

The HOPP care programmes to treat the root of your pain and get back to sport

This pain requires treating the lower back, the real root of the problem, not just the hip. HOPP offers you a precise exercise programme, allowing you to get back to your activities as quickly as possible.

The programme runs from 3 to 9 weeks depending on the injury and ends with a reconditioning phase allowing a return to competition in the best possible conditions. Each programme is designed by the HOPP team, made up of two sports physiotherapists who are experts in assessing and treating athletes. You’ll also find theoretical content throughout your progression, so you master every aspect of your recovery and can adjust your treatment independently. If needed, our team of physiotherapists is on hand to support you.

A programme that adapts to you every day

Every day, how you feel (RPE) is factored in to automatically adjust the rest of your programme: more load if all is well, a bit less if your hip is complaining. This daily personalisation is what makes the difference compared to a fixed, paper-based programme.

Ready to start your programme?

Join the HOPP support programme designed by sports physios.

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