You have powerful muscles that surround your hip joint. Sometimes these muscles get "out of balance." Some get used and some don't. This creates stress on the joint. When muscles pull on bones in a different way than they were designed to--more pull on one side than on another--it creates little bony spurs or bumps. Those little bone spurs are arthritis. But, you can have hip pain whether you have arthritis or not. Many times hip pain comes from your muscles!
If your hips hurt, you might wish to consider walking a different way.
Nordic Walking uses poles to help balance you and might help people with hip pain more than using a cane. If you are walking with a cane, that cane supports you on only one side. But, walking with a pole in each hand gives you support on both sides and helps propel you forward.
The poles also cause you to swing your arms in a good, neutral position. When you walk, you are supposed to swing your arms next to your body rather than in front of (across) your body. Your thumbs should point upward as they do when you shake hands. When you swing your arms correctly as you walk you use all of your upper body muscles as they were designed to be used.
Holding the walking poles puts your hands in the correct neutral position. So, Nordic Walking gives you a good upper body workout as well as your legs, hips and abdomen.
Why is walking good for your hips?
We get into pain when we get out of muscular balance. Walking is what we were designed to do. We are supposed to move. We are built to walk for miles and miles. Honest!
But, long hours of sitting and other lifestyle changes caused some muscles to become "too tight" and others to become weak. Walking changes all of that. Walking helps get all of the muscles around your hip joint strong and balanced, each with the other.
Maybe you can't walk so easily anymore. You might be able to do Nordic Walking or you simply might not. You will have to really consider your body and how you feel, and you might want to check with your doctor.
You can watch a video about Nordic Walking at the website "Live Healthy By Walking dot com". When you watch the video, you might think, "They are walking way too fast. I could never do that." Well, maybe you can't do it right now, but if you start walking gradually at the pace you can manage comfortably, your hips will start to get happier and stronger. Using the walking poles might be a helpful way for you to begin to walk.
You can also read Rosalie's inspirational story when you are there. You'll discover how she's getting rid of her hip pain with walking.
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