Along with knee pain, ankle pain, and shoulder pain, hip pain is one of the more common types of joint pain. It is often seen in young children and middle-aged to elderly adults. The pain levels of hip pain can vary greatly from a mild inconvenience to an inability to move. When left untreated, it can hurt not only your work life, but your family life and social life as well.
Your hip joint is important for the movement and stability of your entire upper body. When too much pressure is put on it, you get hip pain.
Hip joints are pretty basic ball-and-socket joints. It is where the top of your femur attaches with your acetabulum. There is some fluid in the joint that keeps it hydrated and lubricated, and connective tissues cushion it. Ligaments and muscles attach to it to help it move.
Any of those areas could be injured and would present itself as hip pain. However, there are three common origins of hip pain, and these are as follows:
Osteoarthritis
This form of arthritis is probably the most common. It is often seen in older adults and intensifies as they age. This is because it is due to the wearing out of the cartilage that cushions the connection of the femoral head to the acetabulum. The rubbing of the bones against each other can cause swelling and pain.
Lower back problems
Your lower back function is connected to your hips. Disc herniation, spinal stenosis, and compression fractures among other things will not only cause pain in your back, but also your hips.
Hip bursitis
The bursa is the sac of liquid protecting and lubricating the hip joint. When it becomes swollen and irritated, you have hip bursitis. There are two major types of this ailment: trochanteric bursitis and iliopsoas bursitis. The former is usually seen in older adults due to its degenerative nature, while the latter also occurs in younger people.
How can my hip pain be treated by a chiropractor?
Chiropractors treat pain by manipulating your body to bring it back into alignment. Most of this manipulation occurs in the spine. When your bones and joints are positioned just a little bit off balance or are under a little bit too much pressure, you often experience pain. Chiropractors use specific methods to adjust the spine back into optimum position so that you can live life without pain and enjoy more function and comfort.
Chiropractic treatment is considered a safe and effective treatment. Professionals have over a hundred different techniques to use, and they will carefully examine and evaluate your pain to figure out what will work best for you.
High-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) thrust
The HVLA thrust technique is probably the type of chiropractic care you’d assume. It is a manual adjustment where a quick, controlled movement is used to move a joint back into place. There are often popping or cracking sounds in the process.
There are three main types of HVLA thrust adjustments:
- Diversified technique: Several small adjustments are applied to individual joints to relieve the pressure in a general area.
- Gonstead adjustment: Special tables and chairs are used to position the body in a particular way before the adjustments are made.
- Thompson terminal point (drop technique): The patient is placed on a particular table with removable sections that will allow for pressure to be applied on a specific portion of the spine.
Low-force, gentle chiropractic care
Although HVLA adjustments are more common, low-force techniques can be used for patients who are unable to take the pressure of the sudden force for any particular reason. This technique involves lighter force over a longer period of time to manipulate the spine into position.
Here are a couple common spinal mobilisation techniques:
- Activator method: A special spring-loaded chiropractic tool is used to measure and test your muscles as well as adjust your spine.
- Core flexion-distraction: Constant pressure is applied to your lower back and your spine is moved back and forth until your vertebrae pops into place.
- Toggle drop: The same table used for the Thompson terminal point is used to apply constant pressure around the specific area.
- Mackenzie technique: The patient is at liberty to choose the most comfortable position for which to receive the adjustment. This is commonly used for patients who are severely uncomfortable with chiropractic care.
- Release work: The chiropractor uses fingertips to apply pressure to individual vertebrae and slowly manipulate them into place.
- Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT): The pelvis is put in a certain position using blocks, and a combination of gravity and pressure adjusts the spine.
Your chiropractor in Perth will study your case before deciding the method of treatment that would be the most suitable for you.
Melville Wellness has a team of chiropractors that helps to treat hip pain in Perth, get in touch today to see how we can help.
