How do I calm outer-hip pain (bursitis)?

Pain on the outside of the hip - sore to lie on at night, grumpy on the stairs - is what many people call hip bursitis: a little cushion on the side of the hip getting irritated. Underneath, the real story is usually tightness and imbalance in the muscles around the hip and glute, which keep pulling on that spot and never let it calm down. Long sitting feeds it quietly.

We release the pullers, not poke the sore spot. Slow, supported stretches let the deep hip muscles unclench - the straps carry the legs, so nothing has to brace - and once the surrounding muscles let go, the outer hip stops being tugged and irritated. Decompression of the body takes the load off the whole area, and we always stay within comfort: we improve the body, we do not exhaust it.

Give it a gentle, regular rhythm rather than one hard stretch. If the hip is very swollen or the pain came from a fall, tell your trainer beforehand - we start even softer.