Osteopathic Treatment for Hip Pain
Hip pain can be very wearing, especially as it can be felt in multiple positions, like standing, sitting, walking or laying down, which can make it hard to find relief, as well as stay active.
Causes of Hip Pain
Our hips support our bodyweight all day, every day. Both strength and mobility is incredibly important for hip function, both of which can steadily decline without us noticing.
Lack of strength or control:
Certain muscles around the hip and pelvis are prone to becoming weaker without us noticing - this is the case for even very active people. Sometimes the strength of the hip muscles isn't quite enough to facilitate the exercise or sport, for instance, in walkers or runners, hip pain often develops as a course of repeated loading on the hip without having the appropriate level of muscular strength to support this.
Uneven loading:
We are not designed to be symmetrical, and almost everyone has a dominant leg or a favoured side. However, problems can arise if loading is suddenly unevenly distributed, or over a very long period of time. For example, a common complaint among new parents is hip pain, it is almost always on the side that they always pick up and carry their child.
Lack of mobility:
Most of us rarely take our hips through their full range of movement in everyday life. Just as muscles become weaker when they're not challenged, your joints will gradually stop maintaining ranges of movement that you never use.
A great example is hip extension moving your leg behind your body. Many people gradually lose this movement without realising it because the body simply adapts and finds other ways to keep you walking. The problem is that this often means borrowing movement from the lower back instead, placing extra stress on the spine. This is one of the reasons why hip stiffness and lower back pain are so commonly linked.
Do I have Stiff Hips?
You might have stiff hips if your feet turn outward or inward instead of pointing straight up while you lie flat on your back, this can put excess torsion through your knees and feet. This simple test shows how tight muscles pull your legs, though an osteopath can give you a true check of your joint movement and leg length.
Foot Positions at Rest:
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Turned Out: Tight outer hip muscles often pull your feet away from the middle.
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Turned In: Tight inner hip or groin muscles often roll your feet toward each other.
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Neutral: Your feet point straight up toward the ceiling, showing balanced hip tension.
Improving hip mobility and strength can reduce the strain on surrounding joints and make everyday movements feel easier and less painful.
Head over to our online booking if you're ready to tackle the problem or discover more about how the knee or back might be related at our hub pages