How To Reduce Hip Pain

Hip pain is something that most people commonly associate with advanced age, and most people will recall having seen movies or advertisements showing old people hobbling about while complaining loudly of the agony their hips were causing them. While it is certainly true that pain in the hip is common among older individuals, mostly due to the onset of joint pain from arthritis, there are other causes of such pain. Young people can also experience this type of pain due to physical injuries or simply from overuse.

Physical Therapy

One of the best ways to reduce pain from the hip is through physical therapy. Physical therapy can help you both reduce the pain that you feel and to improve the range of motion and mobility of your hip. This is particularly true in the case of physical injuries, where certain muscles need to be rehabilitated or trained to take over the duties of injured tendons and ligaments. One of the best forms of physical therapy that has consistently shown effective results in providing pain relief is chiropractic treatment.

The very first thing that your chiropractor will do when you schedule your first session will be to go through your medical history in detail. It is important that your chiropractor know the exact cause of your pain, what injuries or medical conditions you may have had, and what treatment you have already had, if any. This will enable your chiropractor to accurately assess the extent of your problem and determine just which type of treatment is appropriate for you.

The most common treatment for pain in the hips is chiropractic adjustment, where the joints are manipulated and adjusted to relieve tension within those joints. This tension is a common contributor to joint pains and by realigning the muscles, tendons and ligaments around the joints, you make it easier and faster for your body to heal itself. You will probably also be prescribed certain exercises or stretches to do on your own at home to keep your body limber and help your hip regain its full range of motion.

Rehabilitative Exercises

One problem that chiropractors and therapists often face is patients not playing their part in their own recovery. Your therapist can only do so much in scheduled sessions with you, and it is really up to you to perform the required exercises at home in order to improve your condition. Some patients give up because these exercises are tiring or cause additional pain, but it is occasionally necessary to endure additional hardships in order to set yourself properly on the road to recovery.

You can also do hip strengthening exercises even if you have not been prescribed such exercises. You should use pain as a guide if you are thinking of doing your own exercises. If an exercise causes you pain, then you should stop immediately and either do a different exercise or consult your chiropractor or therapist first. By combining rehabilitative exercises with proper chiropractic treatment and physical therapy, you maximize your chances of recovering from whatever is causing you hip pain.