Why Does My Hip Hurt When I Squat?

Squatting is one of the most common movements we perform, whether you're training in the gym, getting out of a chair, or picking something up from the floor.

But what happens when squatting starts causing hip pain?

You might notice a pinch at the front of your hip, deep groin discomfort, or pain around the outside of your hip as you lower into a squat.

It's easy to assume your technique is off, your hips are too tight, or you need to stop squatting altogether.

Fortunately, that's not always the case.

Quick Answer

Hip pain when squatting can happen for several reasons, including changes in training load, irritation of the muscles or tendons around the hip, or sensitivity in the hip joint itself.

Squatting isn't necessarily damaging your hip. In many cases, adjusting your squat depth, stance, resistance, or training volume can make the movement more comfortable while you rebuild strength and tolerance.

However, persistent or worsening hip pain warrants a proper assessment to identify what's causing your symptoms.

Common Reasons Your Hip Hurts When Squatting

1. You've Increased Your Training Load Too Quickly

One of the first things worth considering is whether your training has changed recently.

Have you:

• Increased the weight you're squatting?

• Added extra training sessions?

• Started squatting deeper?

• Increased your overall training volume?

• Returned to exercise after some time off?

Your muscles, tendons, and joints need time to adapt to changes in physical demand.

If you increase the work you ask your body to do faster than your current capacity, discomfort can develop.

This doesn't necessarily mean you've injured something. It may simply mean your hip isn't currently tolerating the amount or type of loading you're exposing it to.

2. Your Hip Joint May Be Sensitive in Certain Positions

Deep squatting places your hip into a relatively large amount of flexion.

For some people, this position can reproduce discomfort, particularly around the front of the hip or groin.

Conditions such as femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) can contribute to symptoms in certain individuals. However, experiencing a pinching sensation during a squat doesn't automatically mean you have this condition.

Hip anatomy varies from person to person, and the squat position that feels comfortable for one person may not suit another.

A physiotherapy assessment can help determine which positions reproduce your symptoms and whether they're related to the hip joint or surrounding structures.

3. Muscles or Tendons Around the Hip May Be Irritated

Muscles and tendons around the hip help control movement and produce force.

Depending on the location and nature of your symptoms, structures such as the hip flexors, adductors, or gluteal tendons may contribute to your pain.

For example, discomfort at the front of your hip might occur during repeated hip flexion, while pain around the outside of the hip may be aggravated by certain loaded positions.

Importantly, pain location alone isn't enough to identify the cause.

Understanding how your symptoms behave during different movements is often more useful than guessing which muscle is responsible.

4. Your Squat Position Might Not Suit You

No single squat technique is perfect for everyone.

Differences in hip anatomy, mobility, strength, body proportions, and training history can influence which positions feel comfortable.

Some people prefer a slightly wider stance. Others feel better squatting with their feet closer together or slightly turned out.

If your hip consistently becomes uncomfortable in one particular position, it may be worth experimenting with your stance or squat depth.

That doesn't mean your original technique was necessarily wrong. It may simply mean another variation better suits your current needs.

Should You Stop Squatting If Your Hip Hurts?

Not necessarily.

One of the biggest misconceptions about exercise-related pain is that you must completely avoid a movement until you're pain-free.

Sometimes temporary rest is appropriate, particularly after an acute injury. But in many cases, modifying the exercise is a more useful starting point.

The goal is to find a level of movement and loading your hip can tolerate while maintaining as much activity as possible.

You might be able to continue squatting with adjustments rather than removing the exercise entirely.

The important consideration is how your symptoms respond during training and afterwards.

If pain is progressively worsening, you're changing your movement significantly to avoid it, or symptoms remain noticeably aggravated after each session, you may need to modify the exercise further.

How to Modify Squats When You Have Hip Pain

Consider several practical adjustments:

Reduce Your Squat Depth

If your pain occurs only at the bottom of a deep squat, try a shorter range of motion.

Squatting to a bench or box can help you control your depth while continuing to train your legs.

As your symptoms settle and your capacity improves, you may be able to gradually reintroduce greater depth.

Adjust Your Stance

Experiment with a slightly wider or narrower stance, or change your foot angle.

Small adjustments can alter how your hip moves during the exercise.

The goal isn't to find one universally correct position, but to find a variation that feels comfortable and lets you train effectively.

Reduce the Load or Training Volume

If heavier squats trigger your symptoms, temporarily reduce the weight.

You could also decrease the number of sets, repetitions, or weekly squat sessions.

Remember, rehabilitation doesn't always mean stopping training. Sometimes it simply requires managing how much you're doing.

Try a Different Exercise

If squatting remains uncomfortable despite modifications, you may be able to maintain your lower-body strength using alternative exercises.

Depending on your symptoms, these might include:

• Split squats

• Step-ups

• Hip hinges

• Leg presses

• Supported squat variations

Not every exercise suits every presentation, so the best alternative depends on what your hip can currently tolerate.

The goal is to maintain effective training while letting the irritated area settle.

Will Strengthening Your Hips Help?

Strengthening can be an important part of managing many types of hip pain.

However, it isn't always as simple as doing a few glute exercises or stretching your hip flexors.

A structured rehabilitation program considers the specific movements you're struggling with, your current strength and movement capacity, your training demands, and how your symptoms respond to loading.

For someone who wants to return to heavy squatting, rehabilitation may eventually need to involve progressively heavier squatting.

If your hip hurts during everyday activities, the starting point may be much simpler.

At Next Level Physiotherapy and Strength Studio, we use exercise-based rehabilitation to help clients rebuild strength, movement confidence, and tolerance for the activities that matter to them, one step at a time.

When Should You See a Physiotherapist for Hip Pain?

Consider booking an assessment if:

• Your hip pain keeps returning whenever you squat.

• You've reduced your training, but symptoms aren't improving.

• You're struggling to walk, climb stairs, sit, or do other daily activities.

• You experience persistent pain around the hip or groin.

• You're unsure which exercises are appropriate.

• Your symptoms are preventing you from progressing your training.

Seek urgent medical assessment if you develop severe hip pain after an injury, cannot bear weight, or have a hot, swollen hip accompanied by fever or feeling unwell.

A physiotherapist can assess your hip movement, strength, symptoms, and training demands to help determine an appropriate rehabilitation approach.

The Bottom Line

Hip pain when squatting doesn't automatically mean you need to stop squatting.

Sometimes the solution is to temporarily adjust your depth, stance, resistance, or training volume. Other times, you need a more structured rehabilitation program to address the factors contributing to your symptoms.

The goal shouldn't simply be to avoid painful movements forever.

The goal is to progressively rebuild the strength and capacity you need to return to them with confidence.

Hip Pain Physiotherapy in Varsity Lakes

If hip pain is affecting your squats, training, or everyday activities, our physiotherapists can help you understand what's contributing to your symptoms and develop a rehabilitation plan suited to your goals.

At Next Level Physiotherapy and Strength Studio in Varsity Lakes, we take a strength-based approach to injury rehabilitation, helping active people across the Gold Coast return to the activities they enjoy.

Book a physiotherapy appointment to get started.