WHY HIP PAIN IS MORE COMMON IN WOMEN THAN MEN

Losing the protective effect of oestrogen from perimenopause onwards, weaker pelvic floor muscles (which support tendons and hips) after childbirth and our habits of crossing our legs or standing with weight on one hip (hip hanging) make it four times more likely in women in this age group (40 to 60) than men, says Katie.

Research is ongoing, but a key factor is posture and the way we move. A female orthopaedic surgeon in the US even started a campaign called Sit Like A Man (SLAM). Her aim was not to promote ‘manspreading’, but to make women aware that sitting with a straight line from hip to knee reduces the risk of hip problems.

Other contributory factors include weak hip, glute or buttock muscles, being overweight – especially around the middle – diabetes, cholesterol, age, genetics and having a family history of hip problems.

In younger women, GT is most often seen in runners, people who do a lot of step work and anyone unfit who has suddenly thrown themselves into high intensity workouts.

Hip pain at night, when you have felt all right in the daytime, can be due to the amount of strain you’ve put on your hips, strenuous exercise, walking uphill, or sitting scrunched up on a low chair with your hips lower than your knees.

‘Hip pain at night is often latent pain that might not be because of what you did that day, but because of what you did a few days before, that causes your tendons to grumble when you’re lying on your side in bed,’ says Katie. The best advice (and easiest to adopt) is to be aware of your posture and make changes to protect yourself.