Intermediate Hip Acute Injury Rehabilitation
A 14-week intermediate program using barbells, hand exercisers, 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
- intermediate
- Duration
- 14
- Sessions/week
- 4
- Minutes/session
- 60
- Evidence level
- moderate
- ICD-10
- S72
- Cost tier
- moderate
Program Overview This is a 14-week, intermediate-level rehabilitation guide for someone recovering from an acute hip injury. It combines supervised clinic-based treatments with a structured home and gym routine. The plan uses moderate-level evidence and is designed to be followed with your rehabilitation team guiding the pace.
Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program is for people recovering from a recent hip injury who can already bear some weight and have begun gentle movement, but still need to rebuild strength, motion, and confidence. The goal is to gradually restore hip range of motion, hip and leg strength, walking quality, and daily function while protecting healing tissues.
Before You Start Please review this plan with your physical therapist or doctor before beginning. Some techniques listed, such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and joint mobilizations, are delivered by a trained clinician, not done on your own. Your team will confirm this program suits your specific injury and adjust it as needed. Never push into sharp or worsening pain.
Safety Notes and When to Stop Because your plan lists a risk of compartment syndrome, watch closely for severe, deep, or steadily worsening leg pain, tightness, swelling, numbness, or a leg that feels unusually firm and painful when stretched. Stop activity and contact your clinician or seek urgent care right away if these occur. Also stop and call your clinician if you feel sudden sharp hip pain, new giving-way, or increasing swelling.
Weekly Structure You will do four sessions per week, about 60 minutes each, across 14 weeks. Each week mixes hands-on clinic sessions with guided exercise. The plan moves through phases, from protecting the hip early on, to gentle motion, to building strength and function. Your therapist decides when you move from one phase to the next.
How the 14-Week Plan Is Organized The 14 weeks are grouped into phases that follow your recovery, not fixed calendar dates. Early weeks focus on protection, gentle motion, and reduced-load walking. Middle weeks build range of motion and strength. Later weeks add functional and sport-like movement. Your therapist uses the progression criteria in your plan to decide when to advance. Sessions use the barbell, hand-exerciser, and wrist-splint as part of your program.
What a Typical Session Looks Like Each session follows a warm-up, main work, and cool-down pattern. Expect clinic treatments such as therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, manual therapy, taping, or aquatic work as your therapist directs. Your home and gym exercises use the barbell for controlled strengthening, the hand-exerciser for grip and upper-body conditioning, and the wrist-splint for wrist support during loading.
Warm-Up, Main Work, and Cool-Down Warm up with easy walking, gentle hip circles, and light cycling if available. Main work includes therapist-guided treatments plus strength and motion exercises tailored to your phase, using the barbell and hand-exerciser as prescribed. Finish with a cool-down of slow stretching and relaxed breathing, as your plan requires cooling down after each session.
Tracking Progress Your clinician tracks your progress using outcome measures including the Harris Hip Score, the Hip Outcome Score daily-living and sports subscales, the iHOT-12, the Timed Up and Go Test, and the Single Leg Stance Test. You may also keep a simple log of pain, walking tolerance, and exercises completed to share at visits. This helps your team fine-tune the plan.
How Progression Criteria Are Used Your therapist uses the weekly progression criteria, such as comfortable hip motion, strength, and pain levels with daily activities, as checkpoints to decide when to advance. Meeting a checkpoint does not mean you must move on that exact week; your clinician judges readiness. Outcome measures give a broader picture of function over time and guide adjustments.
Recovery and Self-Care Rest between sessions and prioritize sleep, balanced meals, and hydration. Follow your therapist's advice on activity and weight bearing, and avoid overloading the hip, as your plan advises. Use any walking aid as directed. Report changes in pain, swelling, or function at your next visit so your program can be adapted.
Pain Management and Red Flags Use pain as your guide: mild discomfort that settles is generally okay, but sharp or rising pain is a signal to ease off. Do not add medications or new treatments without checking with your clinician. Seek urgent help for severe or worsening leg pain, tightness, numbness, or a firm, painful leg, as noted earlier, or for chest pain or breathing trouble.
Recovery phases
Pain at rest < 3/10 on visual analog scale,Weight bearing tolerance established with assistive device as tolerated,Hip flexion range of motion limited to 70 degrees without increased intra-articular pain,Ability to perform ankle pumps and quad sets to maintain lower extremity circulation,No signs of hip joint effusion or increased temperature over greater trochanter,Patient demonstrates understanding of weight bearing restrictions protecting the acetabular labrum
→ Advance to: Early Protected Motion
Hip flexion range of motion progressed to 90 degrees without aggravating the acetabular labrum,Hip external rotation > 15 degrees within pain tolerance,Single leg stance time > 10 seconds with minimal compensation patterns,Hip abductor strength > 3/5 on manual muscle testing for gluteus medius,Pain with activities of daily living reduced by 30% from baseline,No pain with passive hip mobilization within available range
→ Advance to: Early Rehabilitation
Full weight bearing achieved without assistive device,Hip flexion range of motion 110 degrees without cartilage impingement symptoms,Hip internal rotation > 20 degrees in prone position,Can perform straight leg raise without hip flexor tendon pain,Single leg squat to 45 degrees knee flexion without compensatory hip adduction,Functional movement patterns emerging without antalgic gait deviations
→ Advance to: Early Rehabilitation
Hip range of motion within 10 degrees of contralateral side in all planes,Hip abductor strength > 4/5 for gluteus medius and minimus,Hip extensor strength > 4/5 for gluteus maximus,Can tolerate stationary biking for 15 minutes without increased symptoms,No tenderness over iliopsoas tendon or trochanteric bursa,Patient reports pain < 2/10 with walking 15 minutes
→ Advance to: Middle Rehabilitation
Hip external rotator strength > 4/5 for piriformis and obturator internus,Single leg stance time > 30 seconds without Trendelenburg sign,Can perform clamshells with proper gluteal activation without hip tendon irritation,Hip adductor strength > 4/5 without aggravating adductor tendon insertions,Timed Up and Go test < 15 seconds,Patient demonstrates proper hip biomechanics during sit-to-stand movement
→ Advance to: Middle Rehabilitation
Single leg squat to 70 degrees knee flexion with optimal hip kinematics,Hip flexor strength > 4/5 without iliopsoas tendon pain,Can perform hip capsule mobilization without reproducing symptoms,Walking tolerance increased to 30 minutes at moderate pace,No pain with palpation of ischial bursa or ischial tuberosity,Proprioception testing shows < 15% deficit on affected side
→ Advance to: Middle Rehabilitation
Single leg hop for distance > 75% of contralateral side,Hip abduction strength > 85% of contralateral side on dynamometry,Can perform forward lunges without hip labral symptoms,Hip internal rotation in flexion > 30 degrees without pain,Patient reports minimal discomfort with activities of daily living,Balance assessment score within normal limits on affected limb
→ Advance to: Advanced Rehabilitation
Can perform squat to 90 degrees with proper hip mechanics,Hip extensor endurance test > 150% of body weight for 10 repetitions,Running progression initiated at 50% speed without hip symptoms,Cross-training activities including swimming permitted,Hip outcome score improved by > 20 points from baseline,No recurrent swelling or warmth indicating hip synovitis
→ Advance to: Advanced Rehabilitation
Single leg vertical hop test > 80% of contralateral side,Can perform agility drills with cutting and pivoting at 50% speed,Hip flexor tendon flexibility allows for full range without strain,Functional movement screen score > 14/21,Patient confident in performing recreational activities,Trochanteric bursa free of tenderness with palpation and movement
→ Advance to: Advanced Rehabilitation
Running at 75% maximum speed for 20 minutes without symptoms,Hip abduction to extension strength ratio normalized,Can perform single leg land from hop without compensation,Patient reports return to 75% of pre-injury activity level,No pain with resisted hip external rotation in functional positions,Core endurance testing shows bilateral symmetry
→ Advance to: Return to Activity Preparation
Running at 90% maximum speed without hip labral symptoms,Single leg hop for time < 115% of contralateral side,Can perform sport-specific drills at full intensity,Hip range of motion full and pain-free in all planes,Patient reports confidence in cutting and pivoting movements,Isokinetic hip strength testing within 10% of contralateral side
→ Advance to: Return to Activity Preparation
Full participation in sport-specific training without restrictions,Timed agility testing within normal limits for sport,No hip symptoms with prolonged sitting > 30 minutes,Patient reports minimal to no hip discomfort during sleep,Hip outcome score > 85% of maximum,Physical examination reveals full hip strength without tenderness
→ Advance to: Return to Full Activity
Full return to competitive training and competition,Single leg hop battery testing > 90% of contralateral side,Patient reports complete satisfaction with hip function,No recurrence of symptoms with high-intensity activities,All hip structures including labrum, cartilage and tendons asymptomatic,Physical therapist clearance for full return to sport
→ Advance to: Return to Full Activity
Harris Hip Score > 90 points indicating excellent outcome,International Hip Outcome Tool score > 80 points,No restrictions in activities of daily living or recreational sports,Patient demonstrates maintenance of hip strength and flexibility,No ongoing pain management requirements,Discharge criteria met with individualized maintenance program
→ Advance to: Discharge
Return to activity milestones
Pain-free basic activities of daily living
Week 4Ankle dorsiflexion adequate for normalised gait pattern over heel
Light functional activities and conditioning
Week 6Weight-bearing tolerance increased by ≥ 25% from previous baseline
Moderate activity and sport-specific conditioning
Week 8Able to ascend and descend 4 stairs with reciprocal pattern, no rail
Full return to sport, occupation, and recreation
Week 14Weight-bearing tolerance increased by ≥ 25% from previous baseline
Precautions
- avoid-overloading
- cool-down-after
Contraindications
- compartment-syndrome
Pain management
- Ice therapy applied to hip joint and surrounding soft tissues for 15-20 minutes multiple times daily
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication as prescribed for bursitis management
- Gentle hip mobilization techniques targeting the joint capsule and acetabular labrum
- Positional relief techniques using pillows for sleep positioning to reduce hip pressure
- Activity modification guidance to avoid movements that provoke iliopsoas or hip flexor tendon pain
Equipment & modalities
Frequently asked questions
Will I always need the wrist-splint and hand-exerciser?
Can I do the clinic treatments like ultrasound and electrical stimulation at home?
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