Arthritis of the hip is the wearing down of the cartilage (lining over the bones) of the hip joint. It can develop at any age, although it is more commonly diagnosed in older adults. Arthritis of the hips can make everyday activities, such as walking or climbing stairs, difficult. It can make leading an active lifestyle (hiking, cycling, lifting weights, playing tennis, playing golf) even more challenging.
At Movement Solutions, we take our patients through a 5-step journey to help them overcome hip pain and get back to their favorite activities without unnecessary medications, injections, or surgeries:
- Identify root and contributing causes of hip pain.
- Alleviate pain with hands-on therapy.
- Develop movement with targeted exercise.
- Develop strength to prevent reinjury.
- Progress and maintain for lasting results.
In the presence of hip pain, we may find tension, trigger points (knots), and tightness of hip muscles. In addition, stiffness of the spine and thigh regions might be present. Weakness of the core and buttock muscles can be problematic as well. Sometimes a spinal disc problem may cause symptoms at the hip region. In most cases, proper movement needs to be taught (e.g. how to engage the anterior and posterior chain) to help offload irritated hip muscles. However, the only way to know what may be contributing to hip pain is to perform a thorough assessment.
After an assessment, our approach includes hands-on therapy to alleviate pain. This might include dry needling, soft-tissue work, or hands-on mobilization of the hip. We also may also work on the lower back and thigh regions to reduce pain if these regions were found to be stiff or painful.
Pain and poor mobility often go together. If we can alleviate pain and reduce stiffness and tension through the region, mobility often improves. The next step is to perform corrective exercises so the pain and mobility improvements hold. The corrective exercises include targeted exercises for the hip flexors, hip abductors/rotators, and hip extensor muscles.
Once pain is controlled and muscles engage better, our next step is developing strength and durability with load. When performed with good technique, squats, deadlifts, kettlebell swings, and other compound movements can develop strength of the core and hips and prevent injury down the road.
When addressed with a thorough physical therapy assessment and plan of care, overcoming hip arthritis is possible. Ignoring symptoms, on the other hand, may lead to pain that simply does not go away. If you have hip pain and have been told you have hip arthritis, the physical therapists at Movement Solutions would be glad to be a resource for you.
We are available for a free 15-minute phone consultation to talk about how your pain is affecting you and discuss your treatment options.
If you’re wondering if working with us is a good fit, we offer a limited number of free Discovery Visits at our office. It is an opportunity for you to ask questions, obtain clarity about your hip pain and develop confidence that we can help you.
If you’re certain that we’re a good fit and ready to book an appointment, you can inquire about cost and availability and get the process started.
If you’re in pain and unsure about what your next step should be, call us at (864) 558-7346 and ask how we can help.
