Your Hips Are the Boss of Your Body — Here’s How to Keep Them Happy

If your knees ache, your back feels stiff, or your running stride feels “off,” there’s a good chance your hips are involved—even if they’re not where the pain shows up.

At Nashville Physical Therapy & Performance, we often tell patients: the hips are the boss. They influence how you walk, lift, run, sit, stand, and age. When hip mobility or strength starts to slip, the rest of the body quietly picks up the slack—until it can’t anymore.

Understanding how to care for your hips is one of the most important things you can do for long-term movement, joint health, and pain prevention.

Your Hips Are the Boss of Your Body — Here’s How to Keep Them Happy:

Why the Hips Matter So Much

The hips sit at the center of the body and serve as a major force-transfer station between the upper and lower body. Every step you take sends load through the hips—often several times your body weight.

Healthy hips help:

• Absorb and distribute force efficiently

• Protect the knees and low back

• Maintain balance and stability

• Support strong, confident movement
  

When hip function declines, other joints pay the price.

Common Signs Your Hips Aren’t Pulling Their Weight

Hip dysfunction doesn’t always show up as hip pain. Some common clues include:

• Knee pain during walking, running, or stairs

• Low back stiffness or recurring flare-ups

• Difficulty standing up from a chair

• Shortened stride length

• Reduced balance or confidence on one leg
  

Often, these symptoms are blamed on “aging,” when the real issue is reduced hip mobility or strength.

Mobility vs. Strength: You Need Both

Healthy hips require a balance of mobility (the ability to move through range) and strength (the ability to control and load that range).

Common issues we see:

• Adequate flexibility but poor strength and control

• Strength without sufficient joint mobility

• Asymmetries between sides that go unnoticed
  

Stretching alone rarely solves hip problems. Strength training alone can miss key restrictions. Physical therapy addresses both, together.

The Hip–Spine–Knee Connection

The body works as a chain, not isolated parts.

When hip mobility is limited:

• The low back often moves too much

• The knees absorb forces they weren’t designed for

• Movement patterns become less efficient
  

This is why hip-focused rehab often improves symptoms in areas far from the hip itself.

Research consistently shows that improving hip strength and control can reduce knee pain, improve back symptoms, and enhance overall function.

Simple Ways to Support Your Hips Starting Today

While individualized care matters, a few universal habits support hip health:

• Move often throughout the day (especially if you sit)

• Load the hips through squats, hinges, and step-based movements

• Train single-leg strength and balance

• Address stiffness early, not after pain starts
  

The key is consistency—not intensity.

How Physical Therapy Helps Keep Your Hips “in Charge”

At Nashville PT, hip care starts with understanding how you move.

A PT assessment looks at:

• Hip joint mobility

• Strength and endurance of key muscle groups

• Side-to-side differences

• Movement patterns during daily and athletic tasks
  

Treatment focuses on restoring capacity—not just eliminating pain—so your hips can keep doing their job as the boss of your body.

Your Hips Are the Boss of Your Body — Here’s How to Keep Them Happy:

Why Hip Health Is a Long-Term Investment

Strong, mobile hips support:

• Pain-free aging

• Better balance and fall prevention

• Continued participation in the activities you love

• Confidence in movement
  

Loving your body means maintaining the systems that let it move well—not waiting until something breaks down.

Want to know how your hips are really functioning? Schedule a physical therapy evaulation at Nashville Physical Therapy & Performance for a one-on-one evaluation focused on keeping you moving well now—and for years to come.

References

1. Powers CM. The influence of abnormal hip mechanics on knee injury: a biomechanical perspective. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2010.

2. Lewis CL, Sahrmann SA. Effect of hip position on hip joint forces during running. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2009.

3. Reiman MP, et al. Hip function’s influence on knee and lower extremity injury risk. Sports Med. 2015.

4. Crossley KM, et al. Patellofemoral pain consensus statement. Br J Sports Med. 2016.

5. Neumann DA. Kinesiology of the hip: a focus on muscular actions. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2010.