Why Hips Hurt After 50 — Keep Yours Strong and Pain-Free by Starting with Your Glutes

You probably don’t think about your hips—until they start hurting. One day, it’s a little stiffness getting up from the couch. Another, it’s a twinge when climbing the stairs or pain that keeps you awake at night. Before long, you find yourself hesitating to take long walks or worrying about slipping in the kitchen.

Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. Hip pain, weakness, and stiffness are among the most common complaints people over 50 bring to their doctors. And it’s not just discomfort—hip issues can rob you of your independence by increasing your risk of falls.

Your Glutes and Your Hips

There’s a certain freedom that comes with aging—less rush, more perspective, and ideally, more time to enjoy the life you’ve built. But there’s also a quiet challenge: staying strong enough to keep doing the things you love.

From simple walks in the park to keeping up with grandkids, physical confidence makes a big difference. And it turns out, one of the most overlooked muscle groups for that kind of confidence is … your glutes.

Your hips and glutes work together like a finely tuned machine to keep you moving smoothly and safely. The hip joint—the ball-and-socket structure where your thigh bone meets your pelvis—needs strong, stable support from the surrounding muscles. That’s where your glutes come in.

The gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus are the powerhouse muscles of your backside. They control how your hips move when you walk, stand, climb stairs, or get up from a chair. Without strong glutes, your hips have to absorb more stress with every step, which can lead to joint pain and faster cartilage breakdown.

When your glutes weaken, your hips lose stability. That weakness forces other muscles, like those in your lower back or thighs, to overcompensate—often leading to pain, poor posture, and balance problems. Strong glutes keep your pelvis aligned and your hip joints moving properly, reducing wear and tear on cartilage and lowering your risk of falls.

By strengthening your glutes, you directly protect your hips and maintain the smooth, steady movement that helps you stay active and independent as you age.

When Your Hips Start Talking Back

Hip pain is one of the leading causes of mobility loss in older adults, and the consequences can be devastating. Once someone has a hip fracture, it can set off a cascade of decline. — Dr. Timothy Bhattacharyya, orthopedic surgeon at the National Institutes of Health, in an NIH feature on hip fractures.

Why Hip Problems Become So Common After 50

When thinking about your hips, think also about your glutes. Let’s start with a basic truth: most people don’t think much about their glutes until they stop working properly. Weak glutes aren’t always obvious at first.

Maybe you start feeling a little unsteady on stairs, or your lower back flares up after long walks. Over time, the connection becomes clearer—glutes are your body’s engine for stable movement.

They help control your hips, support your spine, and assist your knees when you walk, climb, or even just stand. As you get older, this support becomes even more important. That’s because your body naturally loses muscle mass after age 30—a process called sarcopenia. And by the time you hit 60, that loss can become more noticeable unless you actively work against it.

Unfortunately, many people assume that aging means slowing down. But in reality, strength training—especially focused on the hips and glutes—is one of the smartest ways to stay mobile, independent, and pain-free for years to come.

Your hips take on a lifetime of wear and tear, but several factors converge after 50 that make pain and injuries more likely:

Cartilage Wears Down

Years of movement erode the cushioning that keeps your hip joints gliding smoothly, leading to arthritis.

Muscles Shrink

After 30, you lose up to 5% of muscle mass each decade without strength training. Weak hip and glute muscles destabilize your movements.

Bones Weaken

Decreasing bone density raises the risk of fractures if you fall—a risk that climbs sharply with age.

Connective Tissues Tighten

Ligaments and tendons lose elasticity over time, limiting hip flexibility and changing how you walk.

Old Injuries Add Up

Past injuries, like sports or work-related strains, can lead to arthritis or chronic pain decades later.

Why Women Face More Hip Trouble Than Men

Although hip problems affect everyone, women are at higher risk as they age. Here’s why:

Wider Pelvis

A woman’s broader pelvic structure changes how forces travel through the hips, increasing joint stress.

Hormonal Changes

Estrogen protects bones and cartilage. After menopause, declining estrogen speeds up bone loss and cartilage breakdown.

Higher Rates of Osteoporosis

According to the CDC, women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis, which can make hip fractures more common and more dangerous.

Risks of Ignoring Hip Problems

Weak or painful hips aren’t just uncomfortable—they set the stage for dangerous complications:

• Reduced mobility and balance.
• Increased risk of falls.
• Higher chances of hip fractures, which are among the most serious injuries in older adults.
• Loss of independence, as even basic tasks like standing from a chair or climbing stairs become difficult.

Hip fractures can be life-altering. They’re linked to a significant drop in quality of life, and many patients never regain full function. — Dr. Beatrice Edwards, geriatrician and former director of the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Center at Northwestern Medicine.

How to Keep Your Hips Healthy After 50

You can’t control aging, but you can take steps to keep your hips strong and mobile:

Stay Active Every Day

Low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, or biking keep your joints lubricated and build endurance.

Strengthen Supporting Muscles

Focus on exercises that target the glutes, thighs, and hip flexors, such as hip bridges, mini-band side steps, or leg lifts.

Stretch Gently

Regular stretching or yoga helps keep your hips flexible, which in turn maintains your stride and reduces stiffness.

Protect Your Bones

Eat a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, and consider bone density testing if you’re over 65 or at risk for osteoporosis.

Address Pain Early

Don’t wait for pain to get severe. Early evaluation and treatment by a doctor or physical therapist can prevent long-term damage.

Make Your Home Safer

Install grab bars, improve lighting, and remove loose rugs to reduce the risk of falls.

Hip health is the cornerstone of mobility as we age. A few minutes of targeted exercises each day can make the difference between moving confidently and fearing a fall.

Final Thoughts: Build the Strength to Keep Living Fully - Start with Glutes

Your hips support every step you take, every time you get up from a chair, and every moment you spend exploring life. Taking care of them now isn’t about vanity—it’s about protecting your freedom and independence for years to come.

More people are starting to take glute workouts seriously, especially with strength tools like a hip thrust machine, which offers controlled resistance without stressing the joints. And the benefits? Better balance, fewer falls, and a stronger back to boot. Remember, your glutes and hips work together.

Don’t wait for pain or a fall to start caring for your hips. Begin building strength, improving flexibility, and protecting your bones today—so you can keep enjoying the life you love.

Long-Term Care Risk

Hip problems aren’t just uncomfortable—they can threaten your independence and increase your odds of needing long-term care. When your hips are painful or weak, everyday tasks like getting out of bed, using the bathroom, or climbing stairs can become dangerous or impossible without help. That loss of mobility is one of the leading reasons older adults transition from living independently at home to needing assisted living or nursing home care.

Long-term care services are costly and not covered by Medicare. If you have Long-Term Care Insurance the policy will pay for long-term care services even at home. However, normally you obtain long-term care coverage before you retire and most people do so between the ages of 47 and 67.

Insurance or not, finding quality care for you or a loved one can be difficult. The LTC News Caregiver Directory is a free tool that helps you find local care providers based on zip code. If your loved one has an LTC policy get free assistance in making the claim so they can receive the benefits for the quality care they deserve.

LTC News partners with Amada Senior Care and provides free, no-obligation assistance in processing a claim for any Long-Term Care Insurance policy - File a Long-Term Care Insurance Claim.