Throughout the year, and often over holidays and festive breaks, many people spend much of their time sitting at work or for social functions, or travelling long distances by car, plane or train. This may play havoc with hip pain. Here, we discuss some simple strategies to reduce hip pain sitting, when socialising and travelling.

Key Strategy 1 for hip pain relief in sitting: Watch your hip angle

Sustaining your hips in a position where they are bent more than 90°, may cause pain aggravation of:

1. conditions within the hip joint ( Osteoarthritis, labral tear, Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome), of the muscles and tendons around the hip and pelvis (Gluteal tendinopathy, trochanteric bursitis, Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome, proximal hamstring tendinopathy),
2. the nerves that run through the buttock (Deep Gluteal Syndrome, Hip-Related Sciatica, Piriformis Syndrome).

You can reduce this angle in a number of ways to help reduce your hip pain sitting:

• Avoid choosing low chairs or lounges/sofas
• Tilt your seatbase forward just a little if possible, to bring the hips a little higher than your knees
• Use a wedge cushion
• Recline your seatback slightly

Key Strategy 2 for hip pain relief in sitting: Reduce Compression

For those with pain over the sitting bones (ischial tuberosities), which may be associated with proximal hamstring tendinopathy¹ or ischiogluteal bursitis, the aim is to relieve the pressure over these bones in sitting. Often a pressure relief cushion (made from foam with an egg carton pattern) is very effective at reducing the compression across these structures when sitting. Or just start with some sort of pillow to increase the softness of the surface on which you are sitting. For some people, this isn’t enough and you may need to purchase a piece of thick medium density foam and cut out a couple of holes for the sitting bones. Sounds weird but works well!

For those with pain over the bones at the sides of the hips, usually associated with gluteal tendinopathy or trochanteric bursitis³, bucket-type seats in vehicles that wrap around the sides on the hips and thighs, may exert some pressure there. This can become uncomfortable after prolonged sitting. This discomfort can be eased by lifting your hips higher, so that you elevate yourself away from the edges of the seat. For example, use a wedge cushion or fill in the middle of the seat with a folded towel, creating a flat surface with no pressure from the raised edges of the seat.

For those that suffer with coccydynia, pain related to the tip of the tailbone, direct pressure of the coccyx on the seat can become painful. Coccyx cushions are available with an area cut-out to remove pressure from the coccyx². If you run out of time to find a pillow before your travel, use the general principles of removing pressure from the tailbone, even with a folded towel lengthwise under each thigh and buttock, to lift the tailbone away from the seat.