Your hips sure come in handy at times. They are perfectly located for supporting extra-heavy grocery bags or for giving an open car door a shove when your hands are full. But they were intended as your body's built-in valet. If anything, they are more a combination of bodyguard and chauffeur. They provide indispensable protection for your vital organs and give your legs the range of motion they need to carry you from one place to another. In fact, it is when you are on the move that your hips are at greatest risk for injury. A bad fall or a blow to the knee can cause the hip joint to dislocate. In other words, the hipbone no longer connects to the thighbone. The hip joint is also a prime candidate for arthritis. And the muscles and tendons that support the hips can become strained and inflamed from overuse. Because of its potential causes, here are some tips that you can consider to adopt to relieve your pain.

1. Be Patient

It is going to take a while for your hip to heal, especially if you have injured a muscle. If you pull a hamstring muscle, located in the back of either thigh, it can take 6 to 10 weeks to get better.

2. Get Some Support

If you can't walk without limping, then use crutches or a cane. When you try to avoid bearing weight on your sore hip, you can easily strain muscles and tendons in other areas. If you opt for a cane, it is recommended to use proper technique by carrying the cane in the hand opposite the injured hip. Move it forward at the same time you step out with the injured hip, so you are bearing weight on both the good hip and the cane. Then step out with your "good" hip.

3. Go Polar

Ice is the first line of defense against hip pain. It is recommended to crush some ice and place it in a resealable storage bag, so it has a greater surface area. Lay a thin towel over your hip, then apply the ice at the site of pain for 15 minutes. If your pain is acute, caused by an injury, for example, you may need to reapply the ice as often as once every hour. But for chronic pain such as arthritis, once or twice a day may be enough.

4. Be Reasonable

Don't place too many demands on an aching hip. In general, stay away form any activity that aggravates your pain. You may have to drive to work instead of walking or take the elevator instead of bounding up three flights of stairs at least for the time being.

5. Strike A Pose

Yoga can also enhance flexibility. It is recommended to adopt this simple technique. Sit on the floor and place the soles of your feet together. Pull your feet in, as close to the groin as comfortable. Then let gravity pull your knees toward the floor. If this position is uncomfortable at first, recommend to modify it slightly by bending only one leg at a time and keeping the other leg extended. Hold the pose for 15 seconds. Repeat three times.

6. Walk In Water

To keep your hip limber while you recover, head to your nearest pool for an aquatic workout. Water takes the weight off your hip and allows you to do more without pain than you could on dry land.

7. Take A Tablet

An over-the-counter pain reliever such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help a hurting hip. But if the dosage recommended on the label does not do the trick, alert your doctor. Something more serious may be going on.