Hip Pain: Why Go Another Week With Your Aching Hip?

Are you experiencing hip pain? Has it been interfering with your day-to-day life? Do you have any idea what might be causing it?

What are the causes of hip soreness? How can physical therapy be a viable solution, and what can you do to maintain healthy hips?

What causes hip pain?

Weak Muscles
Impingement – hip stiffness and pain when the ball of the hip pinches against the cup of the hip. Often, leads to arthritis.
Labral Tears – pain along front of the hip joint or groin caused by damaged labral cartilage in your hip socket.
Hip Flexor Strain – sharp pain in the front of the hip or groin. Noticeable when walking, going up stairs or pulling your knee toward your chest.
Muscle Imbalance/Muscle Strain
Piriformis Syndrome – the piriformis muscle in your buttock irritates your sciatic nerve. This leads to pain, numb feelings or tingling in your buttocks or legs.
IT Band Syndrome – pain between the hip and knees. Caused by ligament connecting pelvic bone and shinbone rubbing against thigh bone.
Anterior Hip Pain – pain located in the front of the hip with a number of possible pain quotecauses such as muscle strain, arthritis, and cartilage loss.
Posterior Hip Pain – pain on back side of hip. A symptom of a number of hip related issues.
Lateral Hip Pain – hip joint pain around the outside of your hip.
Proximal Hamstring Strain – a tear or strain of the proximal hamstring. Causes buttock pain, upper thigh pain, or pain while sitting.
Quadriceps Strain – a painful strain of the big muscle which runs down the front of your thigh.
Gluteal Strains – a painful tear of a gluteal muscle in your buttocks.
Hip Arthroscopy – allows a surgeon to look at your hip joint with a small camera.
Osteoarthritis – the cartilage in your hip wears down. Typically, felt in the front of your groin, the pain can radiate into your thigh, buttocks, hip side or back of your thigh.

What are typical hip pain symptoms?

The typical hip pain symptoms are a dull ache in your lower back, fatigue and difficulty standing or sitting for an extended period of time. You may notice some swelling around the area too!

The most common way that people describe their discomfort with these conditions would be similar to what you’ve experienced – feeling like something’s wrong but not knowing how/why it happened until suddenly realizing “Oh shoot…I am developing arthritis.”

Stiffness, throbbing, swelling, tenderness to soft tissues in the area, limping, sharp pain with movement, deep aching in the joint can all be symptoms.

How does hip pain affect your life?

The pain in your hip can make it difficult to do everyday tasks. You may experience a lack of mobility, increased inflammation and muscle tightness. A painful hip affects your ability to tolerate standing, walking, climbing stairs, squatting, and even sitting. This is debilitating if needed to perform regularly for work or other daily activities.

The impact that chronic discomfort from this area has on your life is undeniable. You can find yourself changing or adapting your life in order to eliminate pain.

How does physical therapy help relieve aching hips?

Modalities like hot/cold therapy, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, and manual therapy can all help to decrease pain, swelling, and improve mobility.

Then, stretching and strengthening exercises can also help to decrease pain and prevent further pain or injury in the future.

“…After dealing with chronic issues over many years, causing dual hip replacements in 2017 at the ripe age of 36, I’ve had my fair share of physical therapists and none held a candle to not just Brad and Grace’s, attentiveness, but the entire crew. Even if they weren’t working with me at that particular time, Brent, Glenda, Kaitlyn and Emily all took the time to get to know me and ensure I was comfortable and had everything needed to succeed. You can tell they all enjoy working there, which is a testament to Royce. It was bittersweet ringing the bell on my last day, but I’m going to follow up with them in a few months to make sure I’m still on the right track…. they aren’t done with me yet! Even if you don’t have a specific injury but things just “aren’t right”, I URGE you to go see them – Courtney Kratz

Hip pain can be painful and debilitating. Physical therapy is a common and effective treatment that helps alleviate the symptoms.

Do you have questions about your first visit or insurance? You can schedule an appointment by calling or completing our HIPAA compliant appointment form