Hip Pain
October 22, 2020

Hip Pain

Hip pain in adults can be due to various reasons. Most common causes are Osteoarthritis of hip (OA hip) bursitis and radiating pain from low back.

Less common causes are

Femeroacetabular impingement- The bones of the hip rubbing together as they are abnormally shaped.

Labral tears – A tear in the ring of the cartilage in the joint.

Hip Dysplasia- Hip socket is not completely covering and supporting the top of the thigh bone.

Fracture- Sudden pain in the hip in Older people with weaker bones.

Infection-You will have fever and need to contact your Doctor immediately.

Osteonecrosis-Reduced blood flow to the hip joint.

Hamstring Injury

IT band syndrome- Inflamed ligament in the thigh.

If the hip pain is caused by a serious fall or accident or if there is fever associated with hip pain, any deformity or if you are unable weight bear on your painful leg, consult your Doctor immediately.

Managing hip pain at home

Avoid activities that makes the pain worse, like down hill running.
Wear flat shoes and avoid standing for long time
If your hip pain is due to over activity over exercises, reduce the duration, intensity and repetition
Always include stretches in your warm up or cool down
Try low impact exercise like swimming or cycling instead of running.
Make sure that your wear running shoes with adequate arch support and correct fit.
Loose weight if you are over weight to relieve stress on the joint.

If your hip is still painful after one week of rest or reducing the activity consult your Physiotherapist for assessment and treatment.

Osteoarthritis of Hip

The main symptoms are:

Pain in the groin and out side of the hip and stiffness in the joint which make sit difficult to move the affected joint and to do certain activities.


Joint tenderness
pain and stiffness increases when you have not moved your joint for long periods of time especially while attempting to stand up after siting for a while
Grating or crackling in the joint along with other symptoms
Weakness and muscle wasting

Pain during weight bearing activities and during rest or sleep in the later stages.
Difficulty going up and down stairs wearing shoes and socks on or getting in and out of bed, chair or car.

Treatment

There is no cure for Osteoarthritis but treatment can help from the condition getting worse over time and also to relieve the symptoms.

Role of Physiotherapy in Osteoarthritis of hip

Pain reducing modalities, Manual therapy, Exercises, braces Orthosis and waling aids.

Pain reducing modalities like, moist heat, ultra sound therapy, Interferential current and Laser are used to reduce the pain.


Manual therapy -Gentle mobilization techniques and soft tissue release techniques are used to keep the joint supple and flexible.


Exercises – Exercise keeps you active and helps to build up muscle and increases the flexibility which improve the movement and reduced stress on the joint.


Your physiotherapist will be able to advice you the correct exercise based on the severity of the Arthritis. Physiotherapist can advice you on water based exercises are best to relieve stress on your joints and at the same time will get the same effect of land based exercises.


Balance exercises to reduce the risk of falls Exercise is also good to loose weight and improve postures which will ultimately reduce the stress on your joints. Physiotherapist can help you with adaptive devices like braces, and walking aids will reduce the stress on the affected joint orthosis like insoles will help to spread your weight more evenly.

Pre-operative and Post Operative Physiotherapy

your Doctor may advice joint replacement surgery for your affected hip joint if The conservative management fails to control your symptoms Severe pain in the hip which interferes with daily activities Walking going up and down the stairs, getting in and out of the chair is difficult. Severe joint degeneration has caused stiffness which affects your daily activities and cause limping.

Consult your Physiotherapist if you have been advice for a joint replacement surgery. Physiotherapist will assess and can come up with a treatment plan to help you to maintain the flexibility in the muscles and joint and gentle strengthening exercises to improve the muscle strength. These exercises will help you to recover faster in your post operative rehabilitation phase.

During the post operative period your Physiotherapist will be able to continue your rehabilitation  and progress your exercises and functional activities by following the Hip replacement surgery precautions and protocols.