Beginner Hip Acute Injury Rehabilitation

Published: July 26, 2026Updated: October 6, 2026

A 13-week beginner program using tennis balls, wrist splints, back braces, and kettlebells to aid in the recovery process.

Quick summary

Professional rehabilitation program designed for effective recovery and pain management.

Medically reviewed by WellAlly Editorial TeamLast reviewed October 6, 2026Editorial policy

Key facts at a glance

Body part: lower-limb · hip
Injury type: acute-injury
Level: beginner
Duration: 13
Sessions/week: 2
Minutes/session: 20
Evidence level: moderate
ICD-10: S72
Cost tier: moderate

Program Overview This is a 13-week, beginner-level rehabilitation guide for someone recovering from an acute hip injury. It is designed to be done twice a week for about 20 minutes per session. The plan moves you gently from protecting the healing hip toward building strength and control, with clinician check-ins along the way.

Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program is for people with a recent, acute hip injury who are new to rehabilitation and need a careful, supervised start. The goal is to calm pain and inflammation first, then gradually restore movement, muscle activation, and daily function. The equipment listed (tennis ball, wrist splint, back brace, kettlebell) supports specific exercises your clinician selects, not a fixed routine.

Before You Start Please read this before your first session and keep it handy.

Safety Notes and When to Stop Your clinician must clear you before starting, especially if you have active inflammation, signs of compartment syndrome (severe, worsening pain, tightness, or numbness), or limited movement that has not yet been assessed. Stop and call your clinician if pain sharply increases, you feel numbness or tingling, the hip swells or feels hot, or you cannot bear weight. Never push through sharp pain.

Weekly Structure Here is how the 13 weeks fit together.

How the Plan Is Organized You will do two sessions per week, about 20 minutes each, using the tennis ball, wrist splint, back brace, and kettlebell only as your clinician directs. The plan starts with a protection phase focused on calming pain and gentle motion, then moves into early strengthening once you meet clear checkpoints. Progress is based on how your hip responds, not on the calendar alone.

What a Typical Session Looks Like Each session follows a consistent pattern so you know what to expect.

Warm-Up, Main Work, Cool-Down Begin with a gentle warm-up to prepare the hip. The main work includes the exercises and clinician-provided treatments your therapist selects, which may involve the listed equipment and modalities such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, manual therapy, or taping. Finish with a cool-down and, if advised, ice with compression to settle post-session inflammation. Keep the effort moderate and avoid overloading.

Tracking Progress Tracking helps you and your clinician decide when to advance.

Using Progression Criteria and Outcome Measures Your clinician uses specific checkpoints, such as pain levels, hip movement, and strength, to decide when you move to the next phase. Outcome measures like the Harris Hip Score, Hip Outcome Score, Non-Arthritic Hip Score, pain scale, hop test, and movement screen track your progress over time. You advance only when those checkpoints are met, so the pace stays safe.

Recovery and Self-Care Rest and self-care are part of the program, not a break from it.

Pain Management, Rest, and Red Flags Follow your clinician's advice on pain relief, ice, and rest. Avoid overloading the hip and always cool down after sessions. Seek urgent care for severe or worsening pain, marked swelling, numbness, or inability to bear weight. These may signal a problem that needs prompt attention.

Recovery phases

Week 1Phase 1: Acute Protection

Pain at rest < 3/10 on VAS scale, able to tolerate weight-bearing as tolerated with assistive device, hip flexion range of motion 70-90 degrees without increased pain,No pain with passive hip internal rotation in flexed position, Able to perform isometric contractions of gluteal and adductor muscles without exacerbation, No night pain or pain at rest indicating acute inflammation

→ Advance to: Phase 2: Early Rehabilitation

Week 2Phase 1: Acute Protection

Continued pain control with NSAIDs or ice as needed, hip flexion ROM improved to 90-100 degrees, able to perform submaximal isometrics for hip abductors and flexors (5 second holds, 10 reps),No pain with gentle passive hip external rotation, weight-bearing status progressing toward full weight-bearing, able to perform heel slides within pain-free range

→ Advance to: Phase 2: Early Rehabilitation

Week 3Phase 1: Acute Protection

Pain with activities < 3/10, hip flexion ROM 100-110 degrees, hip external rotation within 20-30 degrees of contralateral side, able to perform ankle pumps and quad sets without compensation,No tenderness over greater trochanteric bursa on palpation, able to ambulate without assistive device in controlled environment

→ Advance to: Phase 2: Early Rehabilitation

Week 4Phase 2: Early Rehabilitation

hip abduction strength 4/5 on manual muscle testing, hip adduction strength 4/5,Active hip flexion ROM within 15 degrees of contralateral side,No pain with resisted straight leg raise in flexed hip position, able to perform clam exercises without pain (10 reps, 2 sets), hip internal rotation ROM 20-35 degrees in 90 degree flexion

→ Advance to: Phase 3: Intermediate Strengthening

Week 5Phase 2: Early Rehabilitation

able to perform 10 consecutive sit-to-stand transfers without upper extremity assistance, hip extension ROM within 10 degrees of contralateral side,No pain with palpation of acetabular labrum referral pattern, able to tolerate stationary cycling 10 minutes at low resistance, hip external rotation strength 4/5, able to perform bridges with neutral pelvis (10 reps, 2 sets)

→ Advance to: Phase 3: Intermediate Strengthening

Week 6Phase 2: Early Rehabilitation

Single leg stance time > 15 seconds without compensation, hip flexion strength 4+/5,No crepitus with active hip range of motion, able to perform side-lying hip abduction without Trendelenburg sign, hip rotation ROM equal to contralateral side within functional limits, able to walk 15 minutes continuously at comfortable pace

→ Advance to: Phase 3: Intermediate Strengthening

Week 7Phase 3: Intermediate Strengthening

able to perform squat to 45 degrees knee flexion without hip pain, hip abduction strength 5/5, able to complete 12 step-ups onto 8-inch step without compensation,No pain with FABER position testing (Flexion Abduction External Rotation), hip flexion strength 5/5, able to perform side-lying hip external rotation against gravity (10 reps, 2 sets)