Hi Nicola and welcome to KA!!
My hips were becoming quite painful last summer. Couldn't sleep with any comfort on my left side, couldn't do some of my pilates moves fully. It was getting bad. When I started on vioxx, one of the first things I noticed was that I could move without pain, sleep without pain and go into full child pose in pilates.
I think the best exercises for our hips are walking and swimming. These activities keep the joint moving and, so, keep it lubricated. Oddly, as someone who's into pilates and stretching, I don't have alot of good ones for the hips.
Hope that helps.
Hugs,
Kat
