How Hip Pain Can Offset Your Balance During Runs (And What You Can Do About It)

Introduction

You lace up your shoes, hit the trail, and within minutes, something feels “off.” Maybe your stride feels uneven, or you're constantly correcting your posture mid-run. For many runners—especially those in the 35–55 age range—hip discomfort is often the silent culprit behind poor balance and declining running form.

While it’s easy to chalk it up to “just getting older,” persistent hip pain can have far-reaching effects on your body, especially when it comes to stability. If you’re feeling wobbly or noticing unusual strain in your lower body during runs, your hips could be the key to getting back on track.

In this blog, we’ll explore how hip pain impacts balance, why it matters for runners, and what you can start doing today to regain control, comfort, and confidence in every stride.

Why Balance Matters in Running

Running is more than just forward motion—it's a controlled sequence of weight shifts, muscle activations, and postural adjustments. Each stride is a dynamic balance act, requiring both strength and stability.

Good balance helps you:

• Stay efficient over long distances

• Avoid excessive energy loss due to compensation

• Prevent falls and missteps, especially on uneven terrain

• Reduce joint stress by distributing forces evenly

When balance is compromised, your body adapts in ways that can lead to overuse, fatigue, and injury.

The Role of the Hips in Stability and Coordination

Your hips are the powerhouse of your stride. They connect your upper and lower body and control the force that transfers through your core and legs. They’re responsible for:

• Stabilizing the pelvis

• Supporting single-leg stance phases

• Managing rotational forces

• Driving power through the glutes and hamstrings

A healthy, mobile, and pain-free hip joint ensures that your stride is efficient and that each step is supported by the right muscles.

How Hip Pain Disrupts Running Mechanics

Hip pain—whether due to tightness, weakness, or inflammation—often causes the body to adapt in subtle but significant ways. You might start to:

• Shorten your stride

• Shift weight away from the painful side

• Tilt your pelvis to reduce joint movement

• Use your lower back or knees to compensate

These changes affect your center of gravity, increasing instability and making it harder to maintain control and rhythm while running.

Over time, what starts as mild discomfort in the hips can snowball into a cascade of compensations that throw off your entire running form.

Common Signs Your Balance is Affected by Hip Issues

Not sure if your hips are to blame? Here are a few signs to watch for:

• You feel unsteady during longer runs

• You wobble slightly when landing on one leg

• You experience unexpected soreness in your lower back or knees

• You favor one side when walking, standing, or stretching

• Your running pace fluctuates without explanation

These subtle signs often point to a breakdown in balance caused by weakness or dysfunction in the hips.

The Chain Reaction: Impact on Knees, Ankles, and Back

When your hips are in trouble, the rest of your body has to step in and help—whether it’s equipped to or not.

For example:

• Knees: Weak or painful hips can alter your leg alignment, placing added stress on the knees and increasing your risk of runner’s knee or IT band syndrome.

• Ankles and Feet: Instability in the hips can lead to excessive pronation (foot rolling in) or supination (foot rolling out), which in turn can trigger Achilles issues or plantar fasciitis.

• Lower Back: Without strong hips, the lower back often takes on more load, leading to tightness, strain, or discomfort with movement.

Fixing your hips is often the first and most important step in healing other areas of the body.

Exercises to Restore Hip Function and Balance

If you want to improve your balance and run more efficiently, focusing on hip mobility, strength, and control is non-negotiable. Here are five exercises to get you started:

1. Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Strengthens: Glutes, core, hip stabilizers

Tip: Hold the elevated leg straight and focus on lifting evenly through the hips.

2. Lateral Band Walks

Strengthens: Glute medius, hip abductors

Tip: Keep tension in the band and avoid letting the knees cave in.

3. Standing Hip Circles

Improves: Mobility, joint awareness

Tip: Keep your core tight and move slowly through the range.

4. Bulgarian Split Squats

Strengthens: Quads, glutes, hamstrings

Tip: Maintain balance with a controlled descent and avoid letting the front knee drift forward past the toes.

5. Single-Leg Balance with Arm Reaches

Improves: Proprioception, dynamic stability

Tip: Reach in different directions while keeping your foot rooted and hip aligned.

Consistency is key—performing these exercises 3–4 times a week can lead to noticeable improvements in both hip strength and overall balance.

When to Seek Help: Identifying the Need for Professional Assessment

Sometimes, even the best exercises won’t solve the problem—especially if the issue is more structural or biomechanical in nature.

If you’ve been dealing with recurring hip discomfort, poor balance, or unexplained lower-body issues, it might be time for a professional assessment.

A physical therapist can:

• Evaluate your running mechanics

• Pinpoint the root cause of instability

• Guide you through a tailored recovery plan

• Use hands-on techniques to improve mobility and reduce tension

The earlier you intervene, the easier it is to make lasting improvements and avoid chronic problems.

Final Thoughts

Running should feel natural, strong, and empowering—not like you’re constantly fighting your own body to stay upright. If hip pain is compromising your balance, don’t ignore it. That imbalance could be quietly shaping the way you move and setting the stage for more significant setbacks down the road.

By addressing the hips—the foundation of lower-body movement—you can regain control, build strength, and rediscover the joy of running confidently, comfortably, and with purpose.

At Endurance Unleashed, we help runners uncover what’s holding them back and develop personalized plans to get back to full performance—without relying on pills, injections, or surgery.

If you're ready to run balanced and pain-free again, we’re here for you.

Ready to run pain-free and with more power?

Book your Free Discovery Visit with us today and take the first step toward stronger, more efficient runs.

📞 Call: 919-516-9050

🔗 www.endurance-unleashed.com/contact

We’re here to help you keep moving forward—smarter, stronger, and without limits.