4 Habits That Support Strong, Healthy Hips

Because your hips are ball-and-socket joints, you can do a lot. You can swing your leg forward and backward, but you can also step to the side. The extra mobility afforded by this joint makes it significantly easier to go about your day. 

Plus, unlike other ball-and-socket joints like your shoulder, your hips are strong when they’re healthy. 

To stay mobile through the years, you want to protect your hip joints and their ability to work like they should. We can help. As an expert in treating hip pain, Dr. Halina Snowball can work with you to create a personalized plan to proactively protect your hips. 

If you do have any discomfort in your hips, Dr. Snowball and our team at Integrated Pain Solutions in Stamford, Connecticut, can help you find out what’s going on. 

Here are four habits Dr. Snowball recommends everyone adopt (or avoid) to support strong, healthy hips. 

#1: Stretch and strengthen your hips

Ball-and-socket joints are supported by the soft tissues around them. Stretching and strengthening your muscles and tendons can help protect your hip health through the years.

If you like to work out at home, incorporate exercises that make your hips stronger and work on your mobility. If you like going to a workout class, Dr. Snowball offers yoga. 

Because yoga moves you through a wide range of poses, including many hip-opening and strengthening ones, it’s a great way to improve your hip health. And because yoga improves balance, it can help you avoid a potentially hip-injuring fall. 

#2: Address hip pain early

If you have a nagging pain in your hip, don’t ignore it. A lot of hip conditions, like osteoarthritis, get worse over time. If you let things go unchecked, they can damage your hip joint.

Dr. Snowball can help you figure out what’s going on. Just as importantly, she works with you to develop a personalized treatment plan to ease your pain and protect your hip. 

#3: Maintain a healthy weight

Obesity takes a toll on joint health. With more weight to support, your joints have to work harder. That’s particularly true for the joints in the lower part of your body, like your hips and knees. 

If you struggle with your weight, talk to Dr. Snowball. Working with your doctor helps you avoid the fads and misinformation and get medically backed support to reach or maintain a healthy weight. 

#4: Don’t smoke

Smoking heightens your risk of osteoporosis, or bone weakness. That makes you more likely to break a bone, including your hip. Older smokers are as much as 40% more likely to break a hip than their contemporaries who don’t smoke. 

Whether you want help finding what’s causing your current hip pain or you’d like to be proactive about avoiding future issues, Dr. Snowball can help. Call our team at 203-293-0549 to request an appointment or book one online today.