Hip osteoarthritis and hip replacement care
Hip osteoarthritis is often the reason people suffer with hip pain and the pain does not always present in the hip. Groin pain, a stiff hip first thing in the morning and difficulty with socks and shoes are the things you may notice first. Chiropractic can help with the pain and stiffness of hip osteoarthritis, working alongside the exercise and weight management that NICE recommends as the core treatment.
Many patients also see me before and after hip replacement surgery, where gentle treatment of the surrounding muscles and joints, combined with graded rehabilitation, may support your recovery and help you regain confidence in your new hip.
Pain on the outside of the hip and pain in the buttock
If your pain sits on the outside of the hip rather than in the groin and it stops you lying on that side at night, the hip joint itself is often not the problem. It could be gluteal tendinopathy or greater trochanteric pain syndrome, still widely and inaccurately called bursitis. These are now considered tendon problems and they behave quite differently from hip osteoarthritis, responding to quite different management, which is why the distinction matters.
A burning or numb patch on the outer thigh is different again and usually points to a nerve being compressed at the front of the pelvis rather than anything in the joint. Piriformis syndrome, a deep buttock muscle problem, can mimic sciatica closely enough that the two are routinely confused and it is a common runner’s complaint.
Pelvic pain, the sacroiliac joints and the tailbone
Pelvic pain can also be a lower back issue. The sacroiliac joints, where the base of the spine meets the pelvis, are a frequently overlooked source of low back and buttock pain. Tailbone pain, or coccydynia, is another condition people tolerate for far longer than they need to, often after a fall onto their bottom or a long period of sitting.
Pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain (PPGP) and symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) affect a considerable number of pregnancies and can make walking, stairs and turning over in bed uncomfortable and difficult. If you are pregnant and struggling with pelvic pain, please get in touch and we can discuss your symptoms and if chiropractic might help you.
Hips in younger and active adults
Hips cause trouble in younger adults too. Hip impingement, labral tears and clicking or snapping hips tend to appear in active people in their twenties and thirties rather than as gradual wear. Being a coastal area, I often see patients from Lilliput and Sandbanks with hip and lower back complaints related to sailing, cycling and an active outdoor life, along with holidaymakers who have discovered that holidays are not always as restful on the body as they are meant to be.
What happens at an assessment
Every appointment begins with a thorough case history and an examination of the hip, pelvis and lower back together rather than in isolation, so treatment is aimed at the actual source of the pain. Our FAQ page answers many of the questions I am asked most often and I have written separately on how many sessions it usually takes and on whether it is safe to see a chiropractor.
