Hip Pain When Standing Up? Here’s Why It Hurts After Sitting

Why Your Hip Hurts When You Stand Up

If your hip feels stiff, tight, or painful when you rise from a chair, car, couch, or bed, you're not alone.
Hip pain during transitions is one of the earliest warning signs of joint inflammation and mobility problems in adults over 50.

Standing up requires the hip joint to shift from a bent to a weight-bearing position. If anything inside the hip is irritated, inflamed, or stiff, that first movement becomes painful.

Top Causes of Hip Pain When Standing Up

1. Hip Arthritis

When cartilage wears down, the hip joint becomes irritated.
Standing up triggers:

• sharp or aching pain
• stiffness
• slow mobility
• difficulty straightening fully

Pain often improves slightly once you start walking.

2. Hip Flexor Tightness

Sitting shortens the hip flexors.
When you stand, these tight muscles pull on the hip joint, causing sharp or tight pain.

This is extremely common in:

• desk workers
• drivers
• retirees who sit more during the day

3. Bursitis

Inflamed bursae around the hip become sensitive after sitting.
Pain may feel like:

• a deep ache
• tenderness on the outer hip
• difficulty stepping forward

4. Glute Weakness

Weak glute muscles make it difficult for the hip to stabilize when you rise.
The joint takes the load — and pain follows.

5. Inflammation Inside the Joint

Sitting reduces circulation.
This allows inflammation to thicken fluid inside the hip, causing:

• stiffness
• “catching” sensations
• difficulty standing tall

6. Lower Back or SI Joint Issues

Sometimes the hip hurts even though the problem is coming from the low back or pelvis.

Why the First 10 Steps Feel the Worst

Nearly every patient describes the same experience:

“It’s stiff and painful when I stand, but after I walk a bit, it loosens.”

That’s because movement:

• warms the joint fluid
• increases circulation
• releases tight muscles
• reduces joint pressure

This pattern is one of the strongest indicators of underlying inflammation.

Signs Your Hip Pain Is Getting Worse

You may notice:

• stiffness lasting more than 10 minutes
• aching that worsens after long sitting
• difficulty standing straight
• pain going up stairs
• trouble getting into/out of the car
• popping or catching in the hip

These symptoms indicate a joint that needs care, not rest.

Why Rest, Heat, and Pain Pills Aren’t Fixing It

They help temporarily, but they do not address:

• joint inflammation
• muscle imbalance
• cartilage irritation
• circulation limitations
• early degenerative changes

This is why the problem always returns after sitting.

How Buffalo Arthritis & Joint Pain Center Helps Hip Pain When Standing

Our treatments help:

• reduce inflammation inside the hip
• restore smoother joint motion
• improve circulation
• support healthy cartilage
• strengthen stabilizing tissues
• reduce stiffness after sitting
• improve mobility and confidence

Most patients report:

• easier transitions from sitting to standing
• less morning stiffness
• better walking endurance
• improved comfort during daily activities

All without surgery, cortisone, or downtime.

Simple Tips to Reduce Hip Pain When Standing Up

✔ Do gentle hip movements before standing
✔ Stretch hip flexors daily
✔ Strengthen glutes with simple exercises
✔ Sit with hips higher than knees
✔ Stand slowly and with control
✔ Avoid sitting for long periods without breaks

These small adjustments help protect the hip joint.

You Don’t Have to Struggle Every Time You Stand Up

Hip pain during transitions is not something you have to “live with.”
It’s a sign your hip needs support and early treatment works best.

‍