Did you know that many people experience hip pain every year? Hip pain can disturb you from performing your daily activities. It can also affect your other body parts and limit your movement.
But there is a solution for hip pain. If you suffer from hip pain and want hip pain relief, you can benefit from physical therapy treatment. It is a one-stop solution for a wide range of physical conditions, illnesses, and disorders. Before getting the cure for your hip pain, you should know everything about hip pain.
What is hip pain?
Hip pain is a common issue that occurs around or in the hip joint. It can be frustrating and can ruin your whole day. The problem within the hip joint itself can lead to hip pain. Hip pain on the upper thigh, outside of your hip, or outer buttock is generally caused by issues with soft tissues, tendons, ligaments, and other muscles that surround your hip joint.
Sometimes you may experience hip pain due to physical conditions and diseases in other parts of your body, like the lower back. It is known as referred pain. Many different conditions and factors can also develop hip pain.
Causes of hip pain
Arthritis
Arthritis can be a leading cause of long-term hip pain. It can cause stiffness, pain, and tender joints. Arthritis leads to the breakdown of the cartilage and inflammation of the hip joint. Commonly, older adults suffer from arthritis. People with arthritis also have decreased range of motion in the hip. This pain is often felt in the groin or the front of your thigh because of swelling or stiffness in the joint. There are different types of arthritis, including:
Septic arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Infection arthritis
Trauma to a joint
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Injuries
Injuries are common in older adults. With age, the hip bones become more brittle and weak. In this condition, a typical injury can affect the hip bone badly.
Weakened hip bones are more likely to break during an accident or fall. External injury to the hip can cause sudden and severe hip pain. Other complications can also be caused by injury, such as blood clots.
The following can be the result of injuries.
Bursitis (joint inflammation)
Dislocation
Hip fracture
Hip labral tear
Inguinal hernia
Sprains
Tendinitis
Bursitis
It is a painful condition that affects bursae (fluid-filled sacs). Bursae cushion the tendons, bones, and muscles near your joints. When bursae get inflamed, bursitis occurs. It creates pain in your hip.
Repetitive activities, posture issues, and injury can also lead to the inflamed bursae.
Tendon or muscle strain
Repeated activities can put a strain on ligaments, tendons, and muscles that support the hips. When the ligaments, tendons, and muscles become inflamed due to overuse, they can decrease the ability of the hip to work correctly and cause pain.
Osteoporosis
Your hip pain also occurs due to osteoporosis. It happens when the bone tissue dies, and blood flow to the hip bone slows. Osteoporosis can also affect other bones in your body. The long-term use of high-dose steroids or hip fractures can develop osteoporosis conditions.
Some other causes of hip pain
Avascular necrosis
Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
Osteomyelitis
Synovitis
Bone cancer
Leukemia
Meralgia paresthetica
Sacroiliitis
Sciatica
Symptoms of hip disorder
You may feel discomfort in the buttock, outside of the hip joint, groin, and inside the hip joint and thigh.
Limping
Referred pain
Decreased movement in the hip joint
Unable to walk, sit and climb the stairs
Experiencing difficulties in completing daily activities
Unable to manage body weight
Muscle stiffness
Weakness
When to see a doctor
In many cases, you can treat your hip pain yourself with some home remedies. If your hip pain or condition is highly critical or unmanageable, you should visit the hospital for medical help. You should call your doctor immediately if:
Your hip pain is getting worse
Unable to move your legs
Bleeding in your hips
You have been losing your body weight
You feel unwell or feverish
unable to do regular activities
Treatment for hip pain relief
Physical therapy treatment is one of the best treatments that can help you get relief from joint pain. You can use this treatment to ease the symptoms of physical disability and disorder. Many doctors suggest physical therapy treatment to restore function, muscle strength, and range of motion. When you visit your physical therapists, they may ask a different question related to your condition. They may perform various tests to check your walking ability, range of motion, balance, and more.
After collecting the valuable information, your physical therapist will develop a personalized physical therapy plan. He/she will also include some effective and safest therapies in your personalized physical therapy plan, such as
Massage therapy
Joint mobilization
Hot and cold therapy
Stretching exercise
Range of motion exercises
Patient education
Strengthening exercise
Ultrasound therapy
