Hip Pain
We know from experience how much impact hip pain can have on your quality of life, mood, sleep and self-esteem.
Expertise in Hip Pain
The good news is at Fay Pedler physiotherapy we have experts with a special interest in treating hip pain (and the human attached to it!) We are here to help you with your predicament no matter what your goal or expectation. We hope the following information provides insight into common hip problems, as a greater understanding of a condition leads to better success in outcome and management.
Regions of Hip Pain
Hip pain can be present in static stationary postures such as sitting, standing at the sink and queuing and is likely to be more noticeable when weight bearing such as walking. Finding a position of comfort and relief from pain becomes challenging with most day to day activities involving hip movements.
Hip pathology can present as pain at the front of the hip in the region of the groin, the side of the hip around the top of the thigh bone and the back of the hip into the gluteal muscles that we sit on. Hip problems are also known to refer pain down the thigh and around the knee. Problems originating from the lumbar spine can also refer down the thigh so a back assessment is important to identify the source of the problem.
Hip Pain in Young Adults
In young adults one common cause of hip joint pain is femoral acetabular impingement (FAI). The common influencing factors include posture, muscle imbalance (tight, weak, short or long muscles) around the pelvis and repetitive movement patterns such as squatting.
Osteoarthritis
Degenerative hip disease / wear and tear / Osteoarthritis is the most common diagnosis in adults and is the long-term consequence of predisposing conditions such as genetics, congenital hip abnormalities and weight.
Osteoarthritis of the hip describes a clinical syndrome of joint pain accompanied by varying degrees of functional limitation and reduced quality of life. Osteoarthritis is not always progressive and most adults do not require joint replacement surgery, with symptoms improved or adequately controlled through non-surgical measures such as diet and exercise.
Outside of the Hip Joint
Extra articular (outside of the hip joint) pathology involves problems with muscle tendons, muscles, ligaments and nerves. Common conditions involve hip adductors and hip flexor muscles, the gluteus medius muscle tendon that inserts into the thigh bone and entrapment of sciatic and femoral nerves.
Physiotherapy is effective at preventing these problems from occurring as well as helping rehabilitate following the onset of pain. Follow the links below to explore each condition in more detail to better understand hip symptoms and potential causes.