LIVESTRONG reports on the causes of hip pain and tightness, exercises to avoid and alternatives for relief according to HSS physical therapist Curtis Wu PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CSCS and others.

Hip pain and hip tightness can be related to anything from over- or underusing the muscles in the hips, to lower back pain, to more serious conditions like fractures, explained Wu. Sitting all day doesn't help with hip tightness or pain either. "In otherwise healthy individuals — without any underlying medical conditions or surgical history — people who are generally sedentary can experience symptoms of hip tightness among other musculoskeletal complaints throughout the body," noted Wu.

But keeping up with a workout routine and doing exercises for hip pain can help. "People who are more physically active tend to have less disability, live longer and have fewer chronic medical conditions," Wu says. "Many of the consequences of physical inactivity can cause symptoms of joint tightness across the body as well as affect the experience of pain."

Read the full article at Livestrong.com.