Hip Impingement (FAI)
Femoroacetabular impingement
Understanding hip impingement
Femoroacetabular impingement — FAI — means the ball and socket of the hip don't have quite as much clearance as usual, often from a little extra bone on one or both. At the edges of motion, especially deep bending and rotation, the surfaces can pinch. It's common in active people, and many manage it well by adjusting how they load the hip and building the strength that controls it. That's what this program is for.
The reassuring outlook
A lot of FAI settles with the right mix of avoiding the pinch positions and strengthening the muscles that steer the hip — the glutes and core. Symptoms tend to ease as control improves and the aggravating movements are dialed back. Plenty of people stay active and comfortable without surgery by managing it this way.
What you might be feeling
FAI often shows up as pinching or aching in the front of the hip or groin with deep squatting, prolonged sitting, getting in and out of a car, or twisting on the leg. Some people cup the hip with a "C" of the hand to show where it bothers them. It usually eases when you stay out of the deep ranges that provoke it.
Working with the hip, not into the pinch
The guiding idea with FAI is to load the hip in the ranges it likes and ease off the ones that pinch — early on that means going easy on very deep squats, deep lunges, and end-range rotation. This isn't forever; it's giving the hip room while you build control. Let comfort be your guide, and favor movements that feel clean.
The key: control from the glutes and core
The muscles around the hip — the glutes especially, with a steady core — control how the ball sits and moves in the socket. When they're strong and coordinated, the hip tracks better and pinches less. So the heart of this program is glute and core strength and control, built in ranges that don't provoke symptoms.
How this program is built
Each session is a gentle warm-up (a stationary bike is ideal), hip-control and glute work, and core stability — kept out of the deep ranges that pinch, then gradually opened up as comfort allows. If a movement provokes the familiar pinch, shorten the range or ease off it and favor what feels clean. Sharp, catching pain is a cue to back off.
Staying active day to day
Small adjustments help a lot: break up long sitting (it loads the front of the hip), set your seat a touch higher, and step out of — rather than deep-squat into — low chairs and cars for now. Low-impact cardio (bike, swim, comfortable walking) keeps you fit while being kind to the hip.
Other treatment options
Activity adjustment and a focused strengthening program are the first-line approach, and they resolve symptoms for many people. The other tools worth knowing: physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, and an injection that can both calm symptoms and clarify the picture. If impingement keeps limiting you despite good conservative work, arthroscopic surgery to reshape the bone and address the labrum is an option — decided together. This program supports you wherever you are on that path.
Tracking how you're doing
Your quick daily check-in — how the hip feels, what you've been doing — gives you and your care team a shared view of how things are trending. Together with your routine, it's a simple way to see progress and keep your care team in the loop. It is not a monitoring or warning system.
This guide is general education, not medical advice, and doesn't replace evaluation by a licensed provider. For urgent symptoms, contact your care team or call 911.