Beginner Hip Acute Injury Rehabilitation
A 18-week beginner program using resistance bands, balance boards, tennis balls, cable machines, and wrist splints to aid in the recovery process.
Professional rehabilitation program designed for effective recovery and pain management.
Key facts at a glance
- Body part
- lower-limb · hip
- Injury type
- acute-injury
- Level
- beginner
- Duration
- 18
- Sessions/week
- 5
- Minutes/session
- 30
- Evidence level
- moderate
- ICD-10
- S72
- Cost tier
- moderate
Program Overview This is an 18-week, beginner-level rehabilitation guide for an acute hip injury. It combines supervised physiotherapy techniques with a home and gym strengthening program five days a week, about 30 minutes per session. The plan moves you gradually from protecting the healing hip to building strength, balance, and confidence with daily activities.
Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program is for adults recovering from a recent hip injury who are new to structured rehabilitation. The goal is to calm pain and protect the hip early on, then steadily restore movement, muscle strength, and balance so you can walk, climb stairs, and return to everyday activity safely. Progress is guided by how you respond, not by the calendar alone.
Before You Start Please review this plan with your treating clinician before beginning. It is a general guide, not a substitute for individual assessment. Your clinician will confirm it suits your specific injury, adjust exercises, and supervise any hands-on modalities such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, laser, shockwave, or aquatic therapy.
Safety Notes and When to Stop Do not start if you have severe muscle wasting, a recent fracture, or hardware that is not yet stable—your clinician must clear these first. Stop and call your clinician if you feel sharp or worsening pain, new swelling, numbness, give-way weakness, or pain that lingers well beyond the session. Mild discomfort that settles with rest is common; escalating pain is not.
Weekly Structure You will do five sessions per week, roughly 30 minutes each, across 18 weeks. Equipment includes resistance bands, a balance board, a tennis ball, a cable machine, and a wrist splint. The plan moves through phases: early protection, then early mobilization, then progressive strengthening and balance, and finally return toward fuller activity.
How the 18-Week Plan Is Organized Weeks 1 and 2 focus on acute protection. Weeks 3 and 4 introduce early mobilization. The remaining weeks gradually build strength, balance, and endurance. Sessions include a warm-up, main exercises, and a cool-down. Your clinician may add therapies like ultrasound, electrical stimulation, laser, shockwave, or hydrotherapy alongside your exercises as appropriate.
What a Typical Session Looks Like Each session follows the same reassuring pattern: warm up, do the main work, then cool down. This consistency helps you learn the routine and keeps your hip prepared for activity. Your clinician will show you how to use each piece of equipment correctly and adjust difficulty as you improve.
Warm-Up, Main Work, and Cool-Down Begin with gentle warm-up movement, such as easy stationary cycling if cleared. Main work uses resistance bands and the cable machine for controlled hip and leg strengthening, the balance board for stability, and the tennis ball for gentle soft-tissue work. Finish with a cool-down of slow stretching and relaxed breathing to settle the hip.
Tracking Progress Keep a simple log of your pain before and after sessions, what you did, and how it felt the next day. Note any exercises that felt easier or harder over time. Bring this log to your clinician visits so your program can be adjusted based on real evidence of how your hip is responding.
How Progression Criteria and Outcome Measures Are Used Your clinician uses specific checkpoints—pain levels, hip range of motion, strength, balance, and tolerance to activities—to decide when you are ready to advance to the next phase. Outcome measures such as the Hip Outcome Score, pain rating, hop test, goniometer range, and manual muscle testing track change over time and guide safe progression.
Recovery and Self-Care Rest is part of rehabilitation. Balance activity with recovery, ice or heat only as your clinician advises, and prioritize sleep and good nutrition. Keep moving gently on non-session days if comfortable. Avoid suddenly increasing activity, and let pain the next day guide how hard you push.
Pain Management Cautions and Red Flags Do not use this guide to self-prescribe medication; ask your clinician or pharmacist. Seek urgent advice for sudden severe pain, inability to bear weight, chest pain, fever, or calf swelling. Persistent night pain or worsening symptoms should prompt a call to your care team rather than pushing through.
Recovery phases
Pain at rest ≤2/10 on VAS scale,Hip ROM: flexion ≥70°, abduction ≥20° without increased symptoms, Able to ambulate with assistive device (cane/crutches) with minimal pain,No aggravation of symptoms with stationary cycling at low resistance,Hip flexor and adductor tenderness ≤3/5 on palpation scale,Trochanteric bursa pain with palpation ≤3/5
→ Advance to: Early Mobilization
Pain with weight-bearing activities ≤3/10,Hip ROM: flexion ≥80°, abduction ≥25°, internal rotation ≥10°,Stationary cycling 10 minutes at low resistance without symptom flare,No increased pain 24 hours post-exercise,Hip abductor strength ≥3/5 (MMT),Acetabular labrum irritation symptoms stable or improved
→ Advance to: Early Mobilization
Pain with walking ≤2/10,Hip ROM: flexion ≥90°, abduction ≥30°, external rotation ≥15°,Single-leg stance ≥10 seconds without loss of balance,Hip flexor strength ≥3+/5 (MMT),Gluteal tendon insertion pain ≤2/5 on palpation,No pain with resisted hip internal rotation
→ Advance to: Early Strengthening
Full weight-bearing ambulation without assistive device,Hip ROM: flexion ≥100°, abduction ≥35°, adduction ≥15°,Single-leg stance ≥15 seconds,Gluteus medius strength ≥3+/5 (MMT),Iliopsoas tendon pain ≤2/5 on palpation,Can perform clam exercises without increased hip pain
→ Advance to: Early Strengthening
Pain with activities of daily living ≤1/10,Hip ROM: full flexion ≥110°, abduction ≥40°,Single-leg stance ≥20 seconds,Hip extensor strength ≥3+/5 (MMT),Can perform 10 single-leg squats with proper form,No provocation of trochanteric bursa with side-lying exercises
→ Advance to: Early Strengthening
Painless gait pattern,Hip ROM: all planes within 10° of contralateral side,Single-leg stance ≥25 seconds with eyes closed,Hip abductor strength ≥4/5 (MMT),Can perform 15 seated hip external rotation exercises,Cartilage loading tolerance improved - no pain with hopping in place
→ Advance to: Progressive Strengthening
No hip pain with prolonged sitting (>30 minutes),Hip flexor strength ≥4/5 (MMT),Can perform 10 standing hip abduction exercises with 2lb resistance,Single-leg hop for distance ≥50% of height without pain,Adductor tendon pain absent at rest and with activity,Functional movement pattern: squat depth to 60° knee flexion pain-free
→ Advance to: Progressive Strengthening
Hip joint play mobility normal - anterior-posterior glide ≥5mm,Can perform 12 gluteal bridge exercises with single-leg progression,Hip external rotator strength ≥4/5 (MMT),Can walk 20 minutes at brisk pace without increased symptoms,No pain with palpation of ischiofemoral ligament,Cartilage tolerance: can perform low-impact plyometrics
→ Advance to: Advanced Strengthening
Can perform 15 single-leg squats to 70° knee flexion,Hip adductor strength ≥4/5 (MMT),Single-leg hop test ≥60% contralateral side,No recurrence of labral symptoms with deep flexion activities,Can perform 10 monster walks with resistance band,Iliopsoas bursa pain absent
→ Advance to: Advanced Strengthening
Full hip ROM equal to contralateral side,Hip abductor strength ≥4+/5 (MMT),Can complete 30-second single-leg stance on unstable surface,Return to low-impact recreational activities,No pain with sustained hip flexion >90°,Acetabular cartilage tolerance: can tolerate impact activities
→ Advance to: Advanced Strengthening
Hip extensor strength ≥4+/5 (MMT),Can perform 20 step-up exercises (8-inch step),Single-leg hop for time ≤10% deficit,No hip pain with cutting or pivoting movements at low speed,Can perform hip circle exercises through full ROM,Trochanteric bursa pain completely resolved
→ Advance to: Sport-Specific Training
Hip flexor strength ≥5-/5 (MMT),Can run 20 minutes at moderate pace without pain,Single-leg hop for distance ≥75% contralateral side,No hip pain with prolonged standing (>1 hour),Return to full activities of daily living,All hip muscle groups ≥4+/5 strength
→ Advance to: Sport-Specific Training
Can perform agility drills with 45-degree cuts,Hip adductor strength ≥5-/5 (MMT),Single-leg vertical hop ≥70% contralateral side,No hip pain with sport-specific movements,Can complete hip mobility circuit without symptoms,Femoral head cartilage tolerance: running impact tolerable
→ Advance to: Return to Activity
Can perform sport-specific training at 50% intensity,Hip external rotator strength ≥5-/5 (MMT),Single-leg hop test ≥85% contralateral side,No increased pain 24 hours post-training,Full hip proprioception - can balance on wobble board 30 seconds,Acetabular labrum stable - no catching or clicking with activity
→ Advance to: Return to Activity
Return to sport training at 75% intensity,Hip abduction strength ≥5-/5 (MMT),Can complete cutting drills without hip pain,No hip fatigue with 45-minute training session,Gluteal tendon insertion pain-free with loading,Cartilage tolerance: can tolerate repeated jumping
→ Advance to: Return to Sport
Return to full sport training with no restrictions,Hip flexor strength ≥5/5 (MMT),Single-leg hop for distance ≥90% contralateral side,No hip symptoms with high-speed running,Can perform all sport-specific movements at full speed,Iliopsoas tendon fully rehabilitated - no pain with sprinting
→ Advance to: Return to Sport
Able to complete full game/practice simulation,All hip muscle strength ≥5/5 (MMT),Single-leg hop test ≥95% contralateral side,No hip pain or stiffness post-activity,Hip joint capsule mobility full and pain-free,Can perform prolonged activity (90+ minutes) without symptoms
→ Advance to: Maintenance
Full return to competitive activity,All outcome measures at pre-injury levels or 95%+,No hip pain with activities of daily living and sport,Hip ROM full and equal to contralateral side,Single-leg hop test 100% or pre-injury baseline,Patient discharged to independent maintenance program
Return to activity milestones
Pain-free basic activities of daily living
Week 5Ankle dorsiflexion adequate for normalised gait pattern over heel
Light functional activities and conditioning
Week 8Weight-bearing tolerance increased by ≥ 25% from previous baseline
Moderate activity and sport-specific conditioning
Week 10Able to ascend and descend 4 stairs with reciprocal pattern, no rail
Full return to sport, occupation, and recreation
Week 18Weight-bearing tolerance increased by ≥ 25% from previous baseline
Precautions
- warm-up-before
- cool-down-after
Contraindications
- severe-muscle-atrophy
- recent-fracture
- unstable-fixation
Pain management
- Ice therapy (15-20 minutes post-exercise)
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (as prescribed)
- Joint mobilization with grade I-II oscillations for pain modulation
- Soft tissue mobilization to hip abductors and adductors
- Rest and activity modification to avoid provoking structures
Equipment & modalities
Frequently asked questions
Will I Be in Pain During These Exercises?
How Do I Know When to Move to the Next Phase?
Can I Do This Program Without Supervision?
This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
This content is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you have about a medical condition, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you read here.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency department immediately.
Medically reviewed by WellAlly Editorial Team Last reviewed October 6, 2026. · Read our editorial policy