Intermediate Hip Acute Injury Rehabilitation
A 13-week intermediate program using wrist splints, dip stations, balance boards, and foam rollers 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
- intermediate
- Duration
- 13
- Sessions/week
- 3
- Minutes/session
- 45
- Evidence level
- moderate
- ICD-10
- S72
- Cost tier
- moderate
Program Overview This is a 13-week intermediate rehabilitation guide for an acute hip injury. It combines supervised clinic treatments, such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, shockwave, aquatic therapy, and blood flow restriction training, with home-based strengthening. Each session is about 45 minutes, three times per week. The plan is built in phases, so you only move forward when your symptoms and movement allow it.
Who This Is For and the Goal This program is for someone recovering from an acute hip injury who has some movement and strength but still needs guidance. The goal is to reduce pain, restore hip motion and strength, and rebuild balance and confidence for daily activities and sport. The program is supervised and adjusts to your progress.
Before You Start Please review this plan with your physical therapist or doctor before beginning, and confirm the plan matches your specific injury. You will need your wrist splint, dip station, balance board, and foam roller, plus access to the clinic treatments listed.
Safety Notes and When to Stop Do not start if you have an active infection or severe pain. Avoid overloading the hip, keep a neutral spine during exercises, and stop any activity that increases your pain. Stop and call your clinician if pain keeps rising, you develop night pain or rest pain, new swelling, fever, numbness, or you cannot bear weight.
Weekly Structure The 13 weeks are divided into phases: an initial protection phase, then early mobility and neuromuscular activation, followed by progressive strengthening. You attend three sessions per week, about 45 minutes each. Some sessions may include clinic treatments, while others are exercise-focused.
How the Plan Is Organized Expect a gradual build. Early weeks focus on protecting the hip, calming pain, and gentle activation. The middle weeks add mobility, balance, and controlled strengthening using the balance board and dip station. Later weeks progress toward more demanding strength and sport-specific tasks, guided by your therapist. The foam roller and wrist splint support comfort and positioning during exercise.
What a Typical Session Looks Like Each session follows a warm-up, main work, and cool-down pattern, tailored by your therapist to your current phase and symptoms.
Warm-Up, Main Work, Cool-Down Warm-up may include gentle hip motion and light foam rolling around the hip and thigh to prepare tissue. Main work combines supervised treatments with strengthening and balance drills, such as controlled squats, step work, and balance board holds. Cool-down includes slow stretching, breathing, and gentle range-of-motion work to settle the hip.
Tracking Progress Your therapist will track your pain, hip range of motion, strength, balance, and single-leg hop distance, along with questionnaires about daily and sport function. Keep notes on symptoms during and after sessions to guide decisions.
How Progression Works You move to the next phase only when you meet the listed criteria, such as pain staying low, improved hip motion, and pain-free strength tests. Outcome measures like the Hip Outcome Score and iHOT-33 help show whether the plan is working and when to adjust.
Recovery and Self-Care Rest between sessions, use ice or heat as advised by your clinician, and keep activity within comfortable limits. Prioritize sleep, hydration, and gentle movement. Follow your therapist's guidance on splint use and avoid activities that flare your hip.
Pain Management and Red Flags Do not push through increasing pain. Some mild discomfort during exercise is common, but pain that worsens or lingers is a signal to back off. Seek urgent care for fever, spreading redness, sudden severe pain, or inability to bear weight.
Recovery phases
Pain at rest ≤2/10 on visual analog scale,Hip flexion range of motion 70-90 degrees without increased symptoms,Able to ambulate with assistive device (caner/crutches) with minimal pain,No pain with passive hip internal rotation at 90 degrees hip flexion,Gluteal and core musculature able to activate without increased groin or lateral hip pain,No night pain or pain at rest indicating active inflammation
→ Advance to: Phase 2: Early Mobility and Neuromuscular Activation
Pain with weight-bearing activities ≤3/10,Hip flexion range of motion 90-100 degrees achieved,Able to perform submaximal isometrics for gluteus medius and hip abductors without pain,Passive hip internal rotation at 90 degrees flexion ≥20 degrees without exacerbation,No pain with palpation of greater trochanteric bursa,Hip extension range of motion -10 to 0 degrees achieved
→ Advance to: Phase 2: Early Mobility and Neuromuscular Activation
Pain with activities of daily living ≤2/10,Hip flexion range of motion 100-110 degrees,Able to perform supine hip slides and heel slides without compensation,Full weight-bearing ambulation without assistive device achieved,No reproduction of deep groin pain with labral stress tests,Hip abduction strength ≥3/5 manual muscle testing
→ Advance to: Phase 2: Early Mobility and Neuromuscular Activation
Hip flexion range of motion 110-120 degrees achieved,Hip internal rotation at 90 degrees flexion ≥25 degrees,Able to perform Clamshell exercises with minimal discomfort,Single-leg stance time ≥15 seconds without hip drop or pain,Hip abduction strength ≥3+/5 without compensatory trends,No pain with FABER position testing
→ Advance to: Phase 3: Progressive Strengthening
Hip external rotation range of motion 30-40 degrees,Able to perform bridge exercises with proper gluteal activation,Hip flexion strength ≥3+/5 manual muscle testing,No reproduction of iliopsoas or hip flexor tendon pain with resisted flexion,Functional movement screen hip mobility score ≥2,No pain withresisted hip adduction
→ Advance to: Phase 3: Progressive Strengthening
Hip flexion range of motion within 10 degrees of contralateral side,Hip abduction strength ≥4/5,Able to perform monster walks without pain,Hip extension strength ≥3+/5,No pain with active hip flexion against resistance,Single-leg squat to 45 degrees knee flexion without valgus collapse
→ Advance to: Phase 3: Progressive Strengthening
Hip flexion strength ≥4/5,Able to perform side-lying hip abduction without substitution patterns,Hip internal rotation strength ≥3+/5,Able to perform partial squats 0-45 degrees without anterior hip pain,Single-leg bridge ≥10 repetitions without fatigue,No pain with ischiofemoral ligament stress testing
→ Advance to: Phase 4: Advanced Strengthening and Functional Training
Hip abduction strength ≥4+/5,Able to perform lateral step-downs without knee valgus,Hip external rotation strength ≥3+/5,Able to perform resisted hip external rotation in prone without pain,Hip extension strength ≥4/5,Single-leg squat to 60 degrees knee flexion with good control
→ Advance to: Phase 4: Advanced Strengthening and Functional Training
Hip flexion strength ≥4+/5,Able to perform full squats with proper hip hinge technique,No pain with impingement tests (anterior impingement test negative),Hip adduction strength ≥4/5,Able to perform PNF patterns without compensation,Functional Movement Screen overall score ≥14
→ Advance to: Phase 4: Advanced Strengthening and Functional Training
All hip muscle groups strength ≥4/5,Able to perform single-leg squats to 70 degrees knee flexion,Hip rotational strength sufficient for functional activities,No pain with sport-specific movements at low intensity,Able to perform hop testing without pain,Single-leg balance with perturbations ≥20 seconds
→ Advance to: Phase 5: Return to Activity Preparation
Hip muscle endurance sufficient for activity demands,Able to perform running drills at 50% speed without pain,Single-leg hop for distance ≥80% limb symmetry index,No recurrence of symptoms with increased loading,Hip biomechanics normal during functional tasks,Able to perform cutting drills at 50% speed
→ Advance to: Phase 5: Return to Activity Preparation
Hip muscle power sufficient for sport demands,Able to perform running at 75% speed without symptoms,Single-leg vertical hop test ≥80% limb symmetry,No pain with repetitive hip flexion activities,Hip range of motion within functional limits,Able to perform sport-specific drills at 75% intensity
→ Advance to: Phase 6: Return to Full Activity
Full hip muscle strength equal to contralateral side,Able to perform all sport-specific activities at 100% intensity,No hip symptoms with high-demand functional testing,Hip-lumbopelvic control sufficient for activity demands,Patient cleared for full return to prior activity level,All outcome measures at acceptable functional thresholds
Return to activity milestones
Pain-free basic activities of daily living
Week 3Ankle dorsiflexion adequate for normalised gait pattern over heel
Light functional activities and conditioning
Week 5Weight-bearing tolerance increased by ≥ 25% from previous baseline
Moderate activity and sport-specific conditioning
Week 7Able to ascend and descend 4 stairs with reciprocal pattern, no rail
Full return to sport, occupation, and recreation
Week 13Weight-bearing tolerance increased by ≥ 25% from previous baseline
Precautions
- avoid-overloading
- maintain-neutral-spine
- stop-if-pain-increases
Contraindications
- infection
- severe-pain
Pain management
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (as prescribed)
- Ice therapy (15-20 minutes post-exercise)
- Gentle soft tissue mobilization to hip rotators and adductors
- Positional unloading and activity modification
- Heat therapy prior to stretching (chronic phase)
Equipment & modalities
Frequently asked questions
How much pain is acceptable during exercise?
Can I skip the clinic treatments and just do exercises?
What if I miss a week or progress slowly?
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