Can Rowing Cause Hip Pain?

Yes, rowing can cause hip pain, usually because it repeats a deep hip bend hundreds of times in a session. Tight hips, a poor catch position, a badly set footplate or a sudden jump in training are the usual reasons it starts to hurt.

A safety note. This is general information, not a diagnosis, and hip pain has many causes that have nothing to do with rowing. See a GP or physiotherapist if it lasts, and stop if the pain increases.

How rowing loads the hip

Your hips bend furthest at the catch, with your knees up and shins near vertical. The drive then opens the hips and knees together, and the recovery folds you back up. At 20 strokes per minute, a 30-minute row is 600 of those folds, and 60 minutes is 1,200.

The load per stroke is modest. Repetition is what matters. The hip passes force from your legs to your trunk on every drive, and it needs enough range to reach the catch without your pelvis or lower back making up the difference.

Likely contributing factors

Factor	What’s happening	What to try
Limited mobility	Tight hip flexors, hamstrings or ankles stop you reaching the catch	Gentle mobility work after rowing
Overreaching	You slide further than your hips can comfortably fold	Shorten the slide slightly
Hard-working hip flexors	They pull you up the slide on each recovery, and tightness may be felt at the front of the hip or groin	Break long sessions up, and vary your training
Weak glutes or trunk	Other tissues take more of the strain	Add strength work twice a week
Set-up	Footplate position or a seat that makes you tilt forces an awkward catch	Change 1 setting at a time
Sudden increases	Going from 2 sessions to 5 in a week	Add 1 thing at a time

Some rowers feel a snap or click at the hip as it bends. That can have several causes, some harmless and some not, so mention it to a clinician if it hurts.

What else could it be

The NHS hip pain page lists several causes, and a few sound familiar to rowers.

Possible cause	What the NHS describes
Sprain, strain or tendonitis	Pain, swelling or bruising after intense or repetitive exercise
Bursitis	Pain that may spread to your upper leg
Osteoarthritis	Over 45, pain worse when walking, stiffness after moving
Rheumatoid arthritis	Pain and stiffness worse after not moving

Don’t try to work out which from a table. It’s there to explain why an assessment matters, not to replace one. If you’ve already been told you have sciatica, our page on rowing with sciatica covers what to do before you row.

Changes to discuss with your clinician

These are general options to raise with a physio. They aren’t a treatment plan.

1. A shorter slide. Stop the seat a little before your full catch for 2 to 3 weeks. A shorter stroke with good posture beats a long, collapsed one.
2. A lower damper. Start around 3 to 5, as a heavy stroke asks more of you at the catch.
3. Footplate position. Try one notch either way, and row 5 minutes easy before you judge it.
4. Lower rate and shorter sessions. For example, 3 sessions of 15 minutes at rate 18 to 20, which is 270 to 300 strokes each.
5. A warm-up. 5 minutes of leg swings, bodyweight squats and gentle lunges before you row. Our rowing warm-up has the full version.
6. Strength work. Bridges and similar moves from our page on glute exercises for rowing, twice a week.

To check your catch, film yourself from the side for 10 strokes. Look for a rounded lower back or a pelvis tipping backwards. Our guide to common rowing technique faults shows what these look like. If your physio is happy for you to add mobility work, our guide to how yoga can improve your rowing sets out poses for the hips and hamstrings and how to fit them around your sessions.

Lower-load alternatives

If rowing aggravates your hip, ask your clinician whether one of these would keep you moving while it settles.

• Walking. Start with 20 to 30 minutes on flat ground.
• Swimming. Keep to a gentle stroke, and skip anything that hurts.
• Upper-body work. A SkiErg or resistance bands avoid the deep fold of the catch.

Cycling also bends the hip repeatedly, so don’t assume it’s easier. The NHS suggests keeping moving gently, not overdoing activity, and avoiding low chairs. Our guide on how to return to rowing after time off from injury covers the way back. If a different leg injury is keeping you off the erg, our pages on rowing with a torn meniscus and rowing with a broken toe cover how the stroke loads each one.

If it hurts mid-session

Stop rowing for a moment. If a short rest and a posture change settle it within a minute or two, carry on easily and shorten the session. If it’s sharp, builds as you continue or lingers afterwards, stop for the day. NHS self-care advice includes an ice pack wrapped in a towel for up to 20 minutes, every 2 to 3 hours, and gentle hip stretches.

When to get help

What you notice	What to do
Stops normal activities or affects your sleep	Book a GP appointment
Getting worse or keeps coming back	Book a GP appointment
No better after 2 weeks of home treatment	Book a GP appointment
Hip stays stiff for more than 30 minutes after waking	Book a GP appointment
Severe pain that started suddenly, without a fall or injury	Urgent GP appointment or NHS 111
Hip swollen and hot, or skin around it has changed colour	Urgent GP appointment or NHS 111
Hip pain with a high temperature, or feeling generally unwell	Urgent GP appointment or NHS 111
Severe pain after a fall or injury	A&E or 999
Can’t walk or put weight on the leg	A&E or 999
Tingling or loss of feeling in the hip or leg after an injury	A&E or 999

If you need A&E, don’t drive yourself. Ask someone to take you or call 999.